


HIdden Desires

by voltagelisa



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Biting, Clawing, Dominance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-19
Updated: 2013-12-06
Packaged: 2017-12-08 22:31:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 75,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/766773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voltagelisa/pseuds/voltagelisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well I would really like to thank Redrose, I believe the name to be. It was her idea that got his chapter going. </p><p>I know its a very short chapter, but I didn't want the other part to be in it. I am working on the other part right now. Hopefully I will be done it shortly. </p><p>I am so very sorry for how long I have been gone. A lot has happened, and I won't bore you with the details. A big part was a block with most of my stories and I am hoping to get all of them done. So no I haven't given up on my stories at all, its just going to take a while for them to get done. But they will b done eventually. <br/>Oh and I have fixed up the other chapters. The proper formatting is being used now and things are spaced out properly. </p><p>Well onto the story.</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Shepard lay back in her bed. She was worried about the upcoming trial. She sighed deeply as she looked at the empty place in the bed beside her. Usually her lover was there, but for the past month they hadn’t seen each other. He was off the Citadel and she’d just returned a few days ago.

She was told he left by the last person she ever thought would bother to give her the information - Sparatus, the Turian Councilor. Man, she hated that turian with a passion. She would enjoy seeing someone put a bullet in his head. He took an almost sick joy in the act of antagonizing her. He hated her race with every fiber of his being and made no secret about it.

She asked when he would return. “You’ll know when he turns up, either dead or in your bed,” was the answer she’d received. Then the asshole had cut communications. She wanted to punch something, but she wasn’t going to damage any of her property because of him. Not a chance in hell. He wasn’t worth it.

The strange thing was that he only used voice during their calls. He never allowed video or holo images, and that pissed her off even more. She’d only met him once and couldn’t remember what the hell he looked like. Though I don’t really care, she thought with a smirk.

She rolled onto her side and faced the empty bed, scowling. One month without him and maybe even longer. Man, what a pisser, she thought and scowled in irritation. They didn’t live together, and he always came late into the night and left before morning. It wouldn’t be good for him if his people discovered that he had a human lover; so they hid their relationship to protect him.

They’d tried to hide it from Sparatus, but he found out somehow and now knew. Luckily he didn’t push the issue. Sparatus thought she was only an amusement to her lover. Little did he know, she scoffed to herself.

Her body went on alert when she heard a noise in her apartment. She moved quietly; a gun in one hand and biotics flaring in the other. She watched as the shadow moved, waiting for the person to come into view. She knew by the shape of the shadow that the figure was turian so she relaxed slightly. She wouldn’t shoot at first sight, not until she saw their face. If it wasn’t her lover, she’d put a bullet in the intruder’s head.

She smirked when she saw a gloved hand loosely holding a gun at his side. Nihlus - it couldn’t be anyone else. She moved quickly, heading straight for the turian. She chuckled when she heard him let out a breath. “I thought you were gone,” she muttered, springing up and wrapping her legs around his waist. She heard his purr of pleasure as his hand snaked to her rear; holding her in place as he moved them to the bedroom.

“Finished quicker than I thought. Didn’t have to leave the Citadel,” he muttered as he nipped her shoulder, leaving red welts behind which he soothed with his tongue. She moaned low in her throat as his claws dug into her skin.  
Nihlus looked down at his mate. They could never admit out loud that he had chosen her as a mate, but it was an unspoken agreement between them. He still couldn’t get over the fact that he’d fallen for a human. It was amusing, actually. If someone had told him a year ago that he would enjoy being with a human, he would have scoffed at the idea. He might even have killed them for the insult or tortured them. But here he was, with none other than

Commander Verena Shepard, the hero of the Skyllian Blitz. He didn’t know how it’d happened. They met on a mission and killed some people together. After the successful completion of their duties, they had supper; talking about the mission. Next thing he knew they were back at her apartment. He still wasn’t sure if it had been his idea or hers. At first it was awkward. Neither knew about the other and being different species didn’t help.

He growled as he felt her teeth graze the underside of his neck. Damn he wished she could bite and mark him, but his people will find out that he was with a human. The stigma turians received when they mated with humans was quite severe. They were looked down upon, and often shunned by their families and friends. Nihlus was a high-ranking Spectre that worked closely with the Council and such a scandal would impact not only his career, but quite possibly the career of his Turian Councilor.

He gasped as he felt the rest of his armor being removed. Shepard forcefully imbedded her teeth into his waist. This was the only place she could mark him. He growled, flipping her onto her back. His tongue snaked out, trailing down her skin until he came to her center. The scent nearly caused him to lose all control, but he knew she needed to be readied. This was one of the differences between turians and humans. There was also the multiple orgasm area and the muscles within their channel. From his experience, more turians should be with humans.

He felt her go over the edge, her cries of pleasure echoing in the room. He moved quickly, sheathing himself deep within her and pounding his hips against hers. After a month apart he couldn’t be gentle, even if he wanted to be.  
It was over quicker than he liked, but he didn’t mind. Not when his mate sighed softly with a sated smile.

“How come you’re here and not on a mission?” he asked curiously as he held her close.

“Don’t ask, not tonight. Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about it,” she muttered with a scowl marring her smooth skin. He let it go, pulling her closer to him. He purred softly as he took in her herbal scent.

~ooooooooooooo~

Shepard stretched out in her bed, smiling softly as memories of the previous night came back to her. She chuckled as she thought of how much sleep they’d missed before she finally passed out from exhaustion. Nihlus had tried to make up for a month-long abstinence, but that wasn’t possible. Humans didn’t have the endurance that turians had. Even a well-trained soldier like herself couldn’t keep up with the average turian; and Nihlus wasn’t an average turian.

Her eyes narrowed as she heard movement in her apartment once again. She was about to get up and seek out the intruder when Nihlus came through her door; a cup of coffee in his hand. His appearance both shocked and worried her. “What are you still doing here? People will know,” she declared, glaring at him.

“Verena, we can’t hide this forever,” he snapped.

“Yes we can and we will. You know damn well how turians that have human lovers are treated,” she growled, her anger starting to get the better of her.

“We’ve been with each for over a year now. I won’t keep hiding this,” he snapped coldly. Last night had made up his mind. For the longest time he thought their deceit was a good idea. Now he wanted nothing more than to wake beside her and treat her as a mate; not just a lover. That longing helped him to make his decision.

“Nihlus, quit being an ass. You know why we keep it a secret!” she snarled, moving in front of the turian and hitting him on the chest. She smirked as his eyes widened. “Do you want to be shunned by your own people?”

“Verena, we can’t keep going like this,” Nihlus told her sadly.

She hesitated, her body stilling. If a human said those words, she would have automatically assumed that they were breaking up; but with a turian it was different. If he wanted to leave, he would have said so already. “What do you mean?” she asked, her nervousness showing.

“One of these times my instincts will win. I will mark you with my scent and my teeth. When that happens, everyone will know,” he warned her.

“When and if it happens, we’ll deal with it,” she sighed, knowing how hard it was for him. She didn’t understand why he stayed with her. It made no sense for him to put himself through all this torture. She knew he cared for her a great deal, maybe even that “L” word; but they never spoke those feelings aloud. That would be admitting too much for the type of relationship they had.

She moved close to him and placed her hand on his cheek, brushing it softly against his mandible. Her body heated as she heard him growl softly. She leaned in close, licking his mandible. She felt a shiver race through his body and hummed.

She was about to move her hands to the clasps of his armor, but a ping on his omnitool stopped her. He chuckled as she groaned, her head resting on his armored chest. “Tell whoever it is that they have really bad timing,” she grumbled and backed away.

“It’s Sparatus. There is a meeting I need to attend,” Nihlus muttered, his body still throbbing with need for her.  
She watched him leave and wondered what the hell she was going to do with her day. She thought about roaming the Presidium just to kill time. It’s better than nothing, she shrugged. As she moved to her door she remembered that she hadn’t told Nihlus about the trial. As a Spectre, he would definitely find out. Shit!

~oooooooooooo~

Shepard leaned back in her chair, grinning at Pallin. Her aimless wanderings led her to his office. He was shaking his head at her once again. “Shepard, are you ever serious?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Only when I have to be,” she answered with a wink. Pallin gave her a turian’s version of a grin. She decided to explain more before he got the wrong idea. “When I am on board a ship, then I am Commander Shepard. But while on my own time, never.” She smirked as he gave a purr of approval. Turians never allowed themselves to forget their training. They rarely relaxed from what most people saw; unless in the presence of close friends. They had to trust you in order to relax around you.

“You’re one of a kind, Shepard,” he commented. “I don’t think anyone will ever understand you, and I am included in that.”

“Sure you do,” she told him, her joking manner gone. “Not many humans understand what I’ve gone through. Turians, on the other hand, have an excellent grasp of it. Your culture is military, so you know there are times when you have to make the hard decisions. You know there are times when your comrades die because of an order you have given. A superior has to do what is best for the whole, not for one person. Turians understand this better than humans.” She bowed her head for a moment, remembering the comrades she’d just lost under her command.

During an intense battle, the captain of her vessel was forced to decide whether to rescue the indigenous life on a nearby planet or the lives of their crew. Instead of stepping up and handling his command, he left the decision up to Shepard. She was forced to choose between a hundred thousand aliens and the five humans that were with her. She chose to sacrifice the lives of both herself and her crew. Two of her team members didn’t survive. Two were still in the hospital. And for her efforts, she was to be brought up on charges. The captain of the ship, Mason, was getting away scot-free and she hated that.

“You’re right. I do understand what the Alliance has been putting you through. It’s what happens when you’re good at what you do. And you know as well as I do that you’re the best humanity has to offer. You’re friends with quite a few turians, salarians, and asari. You even see that your own species isn’t ready for the advancement that they have been pushing for. I’ve known you for two years now, and I have to say that people like you are the only reason why some of the turians on the Citadel put up with humans. Many turians want your race gone,” Pallin stated.

“I want Udina at the head of that line when you decide to kick humans off of the Citadel,” she said wryly. She grinned at the thought of seeing Udina being escorted off the Citadel at gunpoint.

They sat there talking until it was time for Pallin’s next appointment. He never told her who it was and she didn’t ask. It wasn’t her business and she would never insult him by addressing the subject. If he had wanted her to know, he would have told her.

She left his office, scowling as she passed the human embassy; where her nemesis resided. She wasn’t sure where she was going to go. She was grounded until the conclusion of the trial; and that could take up to two months. She wasn’t to leave until the investigation was done, even though it should have been Captain Mason that was under scrutiny. She had made the final decision, and she would face the consequences.

She was just heading out of the Embassy’s waiting area when she accidently bumped into a turian. “Watch it,” he growled. Shepard turned to him, taking in his markings. Most of his dark face was covered in white; similar to Nihlus. He had green eyes that were cold as he glared at her. He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place him. His voice was familiar, too, but his name eluded her. He must be from one of the stores or something, she thought with a scowl. Great! Another human hater. That was all they needed.

Sparatus sneered at her. He wasn’t impressed that she had touched him. He hated humans. He tolerated Shepard, but he would never have agreed to allow her to physically connect with him.

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” she muttered. She started to walk around him and forget that the incident ever happened.

“I would expect nothing less from a human,” he spat. She raised a brow at his tone. She didn’t take offence yet; but if he kept this up, she would. She’d accepted a long time ago that some turians didn’t trust humans. This one almost reminded her of the Turian Councilor, but she knew he would never step foot in this area.

She was about to say something to him, but was interrupted by a familiar voice. “Shepard, is there a problem?” She calmed down a bit when she heard the other turian’s voice. Without taking her eyes off the turian in front of her, she moved off to the side so she could see both of them.

“I’m not sure. I accidently walked into him when I wasn’t paying attention,” she explained to Nihlus.

“You? Not paying attention? That is odd. What had you preoccupied?” he asked, concern shining in his eyes. The other turian watched them with interest. He knew Shepard and was shocked that she didn’t recognize him. From the amount of time they spent arguing, he thought for sure that she would know who he was on sight. But what shocked him more was that she hadn’t been more in tune with her surroundings. He knew she was the best that humanity had to offer. He had read her file many times and was impressed with it. Nihlus had disclosed a great deal about her when he asked. That was shortly after he found out that they were together. He had been disgusted and angry at the news at the time. He still couldn’t understand it; but since Nihlus was his best operative and friend, he helped him keep it a secret.

He looked Shepard over. He’d seen her many times, more than she knew. Their calls were only one way video. She couldn’t see him, but he could see her. She was small, her light brown hair pulled back into some odd style that made it resemble the tail of an animal wagging behind her. The Turian Councilor thought the style was fitting for humans. His head tilted off to the side as he noticed that her skin was a light brown, instead of the normal pale complexion most humans wore. Her eyes were what held his attention. They were a startling amber color.

“Trying to figure out why I am being reprimanded, instead of Captain Mason being investigated,” she grumbled, not meeting Nihlus’ gaze. She had forgotten to tell him this morning and she hated that he was finding out like this. She tightly clenched her fists at her side, trying to reign in her anger.

“What do you mean?” Nihlus asked, confusion and worry enveloping him. He knew nothing of what she was talking about; which was unusual. She usually told him everything. Between the argument and his abrupt meeting, she hadn’t had a chance.

“It’s about my last mission. The captain of the ship, Mason, forced me to make a critical strategic decision for him. I was forced to choose between my team and the lives of countless aliens. I survived, as did three of my team; but two were lost. So I am being investigated for murder for breaking the chain of command,” she explained to him. Nihlus’ eyes widened and his mandibles went slack. He hadn’t thought the trial he’d just been discussing was Shepard’s. Now he knew it was and he worried for her. If they found her guilty it would mark the end of her career and she would be taken from him.

The other turian listened to what she had to say. He had heard variations of this story, but what Shepard said sounded more plausible than what the captain of the ship had declared. He had reeked of fear when he spoke with the Council earlier in the day.

“Did you get video of the mission?” Nihlus asked sharply, his worry showing in his voice. He couldn’t hide it even if he wanted to.

“Of course. I remember some of your lectures,” she grinned as he tried to roll his eyes. “And Nihlus, turians weren’t made for rolling their eyes. Don’t do it again. That was just creepy,” she snickered, patting his shoulder with mock sympathy.

“Shepard, this isn’t a joking matter!” Nihlus reprimanded, his voice sharper than he intended.

“Nihlus, it is a joking matter,” she sneered, her eyes turning cold as she glared at him. “How Admiral Hackett allowed that man to become a captain is beyond me. He doesn’t have what it takes, just like Udina doesn’t have what it takes to be a politician. If they are going to believe him over me, then that is fine. I already know the way human government works and what they are willing to do to save face. If I look like a good sacrificial lamb so they can get into the good graces of the Council, then that is what they will do. They will doctor the videos I have. They will doctor anything to make sure the Council looks at them in a good light. You’ve met Udina. You know he will do anything,” she stated heatedly. Her frustration and anger showed in her voice and she didn’t bother trying to hide it. She hated being a patsy for political gain. That was why she tried to stay away from that area and did her job as a soldier.

Sparatus narrowed his eyes as he listened to her. He knew she had forgotten that he was there and that was just fine with him. She wasn’t whining about the position she was in. She was stating cold hard facts. He was impressed with that fact about her. She reminded him of a turian now, not a whining human. And that definitely worked to her benefit, even if she didn’t know it.

Nihlus glanced at the other turian and his eyes widened. He wasn’t sure what to do now. The one turian that Verena hated with a passion was standing there, listening to her problem. He knew she didn’t recognize him or they would have been bickering by now. He also knew that Sparatus hated humanity with a passion; but Shepard he tolerated…barely. He hoped this didn’t reflect badly at her trial. He was about to warn Shepard, but the subtle shake of the Turian Councilor’s head stopped him.

Shepard turned to see what had caught Nihlus’ attention. The other turian was still standing there listening to everything that had been said. She thought about being angry, but knew she couldn’t be. She hadn’t asked him to leave and they were in a public place.

She started to open her mouth and speak to him, but paused when she caught him looking at her thoughtfully. She raised a brow, hoping he might say something. Without a word he walked away and Shepard watched him disappear up the stairs, shaking her head in annoyance.

“Do you want to explain what that was all about?” she asked Nihlus.

“I can’t. I have orders not to divulge anything,” he answered her. “I’ll meet you later on. I have a meeting to attend at the moment.” With a nod he left, too, and she was once again alone with her thoughts.

~ooooooooo~

Nihlus, Sparatus, Udina and Captain Anderson stood inside the human embassy. The silence in the room was uneasy as they all stood there, glowering at each other. Nihlus decided to be the one to break the silence. He wasn’t sure why Sparatus was called to the meeting and not the other Councilors. “You wished to speak with me about candidates for the Spectres?” he questioned Udina.

“Yes. We’ve narrowed it down to three of our best,” he answered. He passed three datapads to both Nihlus and the Turian Councilor.

Nihlus was shocked when he saw that Shepard’s name wasn’t on any of the datapads. He looked over the credentials of the candidates and almost scoffed out loud. These people were good, but they weren’t at Shepard’s caliber. Her abilities at both weapons and hand-to-hand combat were far beyond any one of the people on these datapads. Her biotics weren’t as strong as two of them - they were adepts from what he could tell - but they didn’t need to be strong for her purposes. She had special training as a vanguard, and always placed herself in the thick of a fight. She didn’t back down from anyone. He had learned this during his time with her.

“Why isn’t Commander Shepard’s name on this list?” Nihlus asked curiously as he watched them closely.

“We have other plans for Commander Shepard,” Udina answered calmly. Both turians could see the sly glint in his eyes. They looked at Captain Anderson to see his expression. There was rage in his eyes that he kept contained, but it was focused on Udina.

“Would this other plan have anything to do with improving relations between the Council and humans?” Sparatus asked silkily. He trusted Shepard’s words over these two humans.

“Since Shepard is guilty of her crimes, she will be escorted off the Citadel to a detention center for humans, where she will stay until humanity sees fit,” Udina answered him. He kept the grin off his face, Once the Councilor saw the video, he was sure he would agree that the Alliance’s decision was the best one for all involved parties.

“I’d like to see this video,” Sparatus asked, ignoring the deep growl coming from Nihlus. He was glad the humans couldn’t hear it. He would have to talk to Nihlus later about this.

“It is still under investigation. It will be ready for the trial,” Udina answered quickly, shifting nervously.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Shepard has a copy of the video. I’ll ask her for hers,” the Turian Councilor stated with a grin; his sharp teeth gleaming in the light. He enjoyed the affect turian smiles had on humans. They were so pathetic, scared of anything that was different from them.

“Commander Shepard doesn’t have a copy of the video. We confiscated everything from her,” Udina told him. He didn’t like that the Councilor was pushing this issue and he also didn’t like that he was showing them his teeth.

Nihlus stepped in when he saw the ambassador tense. “I’ll take these datapads with me and do my own investigation on these humans. We’ll leave you to your business,” he stated, once he had his anger under control.

The Turian Councilor and Nihlus walked out of the office without a backward glance. “Do they really expect the Council to allow those humans into the Spectres?” the Turian Councilor asked disgustedly.

“Obviously they do. But I will not train any of these humans. They are not worth the time other than their biotics,” Nihlus spat. The insult burned him. He was pissed at those humans; especially at their plans for Shepard.

“Where do we find Shepard?” Sparatus asked.

“She’s either at her apartment or the exercise area in C-Sec,” Nihlus answered, leading the way to Shepard’s apartment. He was shocked that she was able to get an apartment on the Presidium. He hadn’t understood how she was able to until she told him that it was her parents’ present to her when she became a commander.

The Turian Councilor raised a brow when they stopped in front of one of the few apartments on this level. “She isn’t one to accept presents, except for this one. Her parents got her the apartment right after the Skyllian Blitz; when she received her promotion to commander,” Nihlus told him as he walked into the apartment with Sparatus hot on his heels.

Nihlus stopped when he found her on the floor, doing her stretches. His plates shifted as arousal coursed through him. She was seated with her legs spread wide; leaning over one of them. He swallowed thickly as his imagination started running away with him. Sparatus’s presence was the only thing keeping him in check at the moment.

Nihlus glanced at Sparatus and narrowed his eyes when he saw the other turian’s gaze riveted to Shepard. He was about to let out a warning growl, but when Sparatus met his eyes he stopped. There was a warning in them; and since he was his superior, Nihlus stayed quiet.

Shepard stopped what she was doing when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over her shoulder to see Nihlus and the rude turian from earlier standing in her hallway. She rolled her eyes with a smirk. She should have known that Nihlus would have hunted her down right away.

“You know, Nihlus, you have lousy timing,” she grumbled as she moved smoothly to her feet.

“Yeah, well, this couldn’t wait. It’s too important. We need the video you took on that mission,” Nihlus told her urgently. His voice was harsh and clearly showed his concern for her.

“There’s one on my visor. They have all the others. I’ll warn you right now that the quality isn’t that great,” she said and sighed as they switched the video on.

They heard the argument between Shepard and her captain. They heard the threatening words that Shepard uttered to her commanding officer. Sparatus smirked when he heard Shepard shout at her captain. They watched as she made the decision; talking to her crew and telling them what the choices were. Both turians looked up to find her staring silently back at them.

“How did you know they were going to use you?” The Turian Councilor asked.

“That was easy to figure out. When you overhear your commanding officer talking with Udina and hear your commanding officer say ‘that everything is going as planned,’ it’s not hard to figure out,” she bit out scathingly.

“Do you have that on this video?” Nihlus asked. He kept himself glued to the chair. If he didn’t, he would be at her side, giving her the support she needed. However, at the moment he needed to be a Spectre and keep his emotions in check.

“I have voice only,” she told him. They kept the video playing. She couldn’t sit there anymore and listen to it. Without a word she left the room, heading for her kitchen. She grabbed them drinks, along with a coffee for herself. Nihlus took his cup without looking up, but the other turian glared at her before accepting the cup. He watched Nihlus as he drank. When nothing happened to him, he finally took a hesitant sip.

She watched as the video came to a close, and Nihlus turned it off. He gave her a worried look. “So, what do you think the Council will do?” she asked him quietly.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about the Council,” Sparatus answered, amused that she still hadn’t figured out his identity.

“I wish I could have your confidence in their judgment, but I don’t. So I’ll be preparing for my rank to be stripped from me,” she sneered.

“Shepard, trust him. If he says the Council won’t be a worry, they won’t be,” Nihlus told her firmly. He tried giving her a message with a look, but she didn’t catch it. He was both annoyed and relieved at her words. If she discovered that the other turian was Sparatus, there was a good chance that they would get into another battle of wills.

“Nihlus, right now it’s a political game, and I’m the pawn. The Council will never know the whole story. Even if they see this video it means nothing. Sparatus would probably jump at the chance to get rid of a human; knowing that asshole,” she bit out, ignoring the other turian. She didn’t know him and didn’t trust him, so his actions didn’t matter in this case. She planned on asking Nihlus about the presence of the intruder at a later time. “And Udina can say that I doctored it, or give any number of excuses. In the end, they’ll get this video thrown out so it can’t be used as evidence,” Shepard snapped, her voice thick with irritation.

“Shepard, trust me,” Nihlus growled, trying to get through her thick skull. She was one of the most stubborn humans he had ever met. It was one of her best and worst qualities. At the particular moment, it was her worst. He glanced at Sparatus to see how he reacted to Shepard calling him an asshole. He wasn’t surprised to see him smirking; not after the other look he caught. He knew it would take a lot more than that for Shepard to insult Sparatus. She called him that at least once every time she talked to him through messages.

“I trust you, Nihlus. But politics - not a chance in hell. You’re protected by the Council. I’m not so lucky,” she said and sighed tiredly.

“What do you know of this person?” the other turian asked; handing her the datapads that Udina had presented to him. The question caught her off guard for a moment. He was forced to hide the pleasure he felt at getting over on her. He watched as she quickly composed herself. He raised a brow ridge as she read over the dossiers, her eyes narrowing. Sparatus hated to admit it, but he trusted her judgment; even though she was never civil with him.

She glanced at the dossier and scowled. “Tolren, Paul. He’s a good soldier, if someone else has the lead. He is not leader material. I wouldn’t team him with aliens. His parents were killed by batarians so he has it out for all races. He is good in a firefight, though,” she explained. She moved on to the next datapad. “Donovan, Jean. Loves aliens, great with biotics. Make sure she doesn’t get cornered or she’s useless. Not good with hand to hand, but her marksmanship is not bad. She gets distracted too easily to be a leader, but she still has years before she will be even considered for any type of rise in rank. She’s only 20 years old,” she told them. She was shocked to see that their ages weren’t included in the dossier. She looked at the final datapad and her eyes widened. “Benard, Mark. Not bad in biotics, and that’s about it,” she snapped coldly.

“Shepard, what aren’t you saying?” Nihlus asked with amusement.

“Mark will do anything to get the job done; no matter the cost. He takes orders from no one, unless it is to suit his goals. Usually that includes killing - whether it be innocents, or the bad guys. He doesn’t care. He has no strong character traits. He didn’t make the cut for N7 training and that pissed him off; especially since I made the cut. Our last altercation ended with a trip for him to the hospital for over two weeks,” she stated with a malicious grin. She then turned her focus from the dossier to Nihlus. “So what’s with all the dossiers?”

“People that your human embassy put forward to become Spectres,” Nihlus answered calmly, waiting for the reaction he was expecting. He knew she would never think of herself as a candidate. He was guessing she would name off some people that were more worthy.

“Figures that they would send these. They don’t want to give up their best to the Council,” she sneered.

Sparatus sat back and watched her, pleased with her answers. It was similar to his own views, but she’d filled in the gaps. Now he didn’t need to waste money on an investigation into these people. He wouldn’t put their names forward as Spectres. He knew Shepard should be tried as a Spectre if everything Nihlus said was true; but at this moment, it wasn’t possible. Later, after he’d thoroughly embarrassed the humans in her trial, he would think about it.

“And who would you suggest?” Nihlus asked with a grin.

“Not sure. Spectres are the elite,” she shrugged. “But if you are looking for the best in humans, search through anyone that went through the N7 training. They are humanity’s elite.”

“We should leave,” Sparatus announced as he rose to his feet. He didn’t bother explaining himself to her as he walked toward the door; Nihlus following close behind him.

Nihlus stopped at the door and turned back to her. “I’ll be back shortly. We need to talk,” he stated. Shepard groaned. She knew he was pissed that she hadn’t told him about the trial earlier. She was not looking forward to this talk.


	2. Chapter 2

Shepard stood at the podium waiting for the Council. They had scheduled the trial earlier than she expected. She didn’t know what Nihlus did to speed things along, but she was happy. She couldn’t stand waiting around. At least now she would know what was going to happen with her life.

What surprised her most was the fact that she’d only met with him and his turian companion the night before; and now she was getting her day in court. She was glad he had pulled some strings to get this going. It looked like she would owe him big time.

She glanced around and smirked when she noticed Pallin, but was shocked that she didn’t see Nihlus anywhere. She noticed other people she knew. Chellick, a turian acquaintance, was there; though she had only met him a month ago. Then there were humans she knew. Kaidan Alenko, biotic extraordinaire, and her former captain, David Anderson, were both standing in the center of the atrium. She’d only worked with Anderson a few times, and she wondered where his loyalties lay in this battle.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw Udina, the captain that set her up and the crew members that had survived. She felt betrayed that they were standing against her, but didn’t show it. There was no fucking way she would allow her emotions to show. It would be a disaster. She knew when dealing with the Turian Councilor she would have to keep her words respectful. Hopefully that would sway him to her side. She knew something about turian culture and hoped that would help her.

She took a calming breath when she heard murmuring through the crowd and knew that the Council was arriving. As far as she was concerned this should have been handled by a human court; but since the planet that was saved was an alien world, they thought it best to involve aliens in the decision.

Her eyes widened as the Council took their places on a nearby dais. Her gaze was riveted to the Turian Councilor. It was the same turian that had heard her rants and seen her video with Nihlus. She didn’t know if that was good for her case or not. She hid her smile when Nihlus moved into view. He gave her a small nod. She wasn’t sure if it was a simple greeting or if he was telling her that everything was going to be fine.

Udina stepped forward to speak, but the Asari Councilor stopped him. “We called this trial early due to the arrival of new evidence. We are not impressed with what we have seen, Ambassador!” she hissed.

“We have an untouched video that shows exactly what happened,” Udina told her. Worry slithered through him as he began to wonder if his plan was going to fail. The new evidence they spoke of had him very concerned.

Udina scowled at Shepard. He would be willing to bet that she had something to do with this. It was common knowledge that she was friends with the aliens. He was certain that she got one of them to pull some strings for her.

Captain Anderson had warned him many times that his plan wouldn’t work. Anderson had come close on many occasions to calling him an idiot. He wished the human would have done it. Then he could have removed him from his post.

Udina glanced up in alarm when the video began to play. It wasn’t the greatest quality, but it was good enough to destroy his case. You could see it was untouched. He knew this could be the end of his career and stood with his shoulders slumped, waiting for the repercussions of his deception.

Shepard crossed her arms, trying her best to hide the grin on her face. When she saw Udina’s shoulders slump she knew she had won. She glanced at Nihlus and saw his grin, and then her gaze turned to the Turian Councilor. Her breath caught when the weight of his gaze hit her. He nodded almost imperceptibly, and she knew it was a sign of his acceptance of her innocence.

Shepard listened as the salarian laid out the charges against Mason and Udina. She scowled when Udina was released with a very minimum sentence. The only good outcome was that the human embassy was to be watched. All files Udina had that pertained to alien and human relations would be confiscated and investigated.

She let a small smile slip when Captain Mason was escorted from the room by human Alliance officers. Udina walked away dejectedly. It was turning out to be a very good day. She turned back to the Council, crossed one hand over her chest and bowed to them. She then stood at attention; meeting Sparatus’s eyes squarely, but remaining silent. Because of him and Nihlus, she was free. She knew he did it because he hated being deceived, especially by humans, but it didn’t matter. He still deserved respect.

Sparatus’s eyes flicked to Nihlus with a small nod and Nihlus moved over to Shepard. The other two Councilors had already left for their offices. With a smirk he watched as Nihlus and Shepard spoke. Nihlus was showing her affection and he wondered if she even realized it. His eyes widened as she reached up, lightly tracing one of Nihlus’ mandibles. He couldn’t believe she would do something so intimate in front of him.

Sparatus watched them a few more moments, his mandibles flaring wide when he heard himself letting out a warning growl. He was thankful that they hadn’t heard it. He couldn’t believe that he had forgotten himself to the point where he was growling.

“Are the two of you finished?” Sparatus snapped, his voice cold with pent up anger.

“For now,” Shepard answered with an impudent grin that sent his emotions flaring higher.

“In my office, the both of you!” he growled, no longer able to control his anger. Shepard had that effect on him most of the time.

Shepard walked over to him, her eyes narrowed in anger. He preferred this to seeing her show Nihlus affection. “Wow, Sparatus, what crawled up your ass and died?” she asked with a raised brow.

Sparatus hid his shock and amusement. He had to admit that humans had a unique way of expressing themselves.  
“I saved a human today, that’s reason enough,” Sparatus grumbled, hiding his amusement from her. He enjoyed what he considered bantering, but he was pretty sure that she intended to insult him.

“Actually that is very shocking coming from you,” she replied snidely. Sparatus saw the smirk as he kept his glare in place. He knew she had more to say, and wondered what insult she was going to come up with next. “I am probably going to regret this, but thank you for saving my ass.” He was mildly surprised that she was thanking him.

He didn’t acknowledge her words of thanks; there was no need to. Their next conversation was far more important. Though Udina had attempted to deceive them, the Council still had a promise to keep to the humans. “Take a seat, Commander. There is a lot to discuss,” he told her, motioning to the chair across from his desk.

“What’s going on?” she asked nervously. She thought all the bullshit was finished with the trial, but now she wasn’t so sure.

“There is another problem that the Council has to fix. Just because Udina is being reprimanded doesn’t mean we can dishonor our promise,” Sparatus explained, his frustration showing.

“What promise did you make and why are you telling me about it?” she asked. Something about this didn’t sit well with her.

“Your race is pushing for a human Spectre, even though you haven’t been in this system long. The Council has agreed to test one of your people,” he muttered, scowling. She could see he wasn’t impressed.

“Why aren’t the other two Councilors here?” she asked.

“They are allowing me to handle this since my hatred for your kind is well-known. Your ambassador saw fit to give us a group of incompetent candidates, but I’ve already made my choice,” he smirked. He wondered what her reaction would be. He didn’t expect her to be excited; it wasn’t her way. Nor did he expect her to gush as he’d seen some humans do. Those humans really made his skin crawl.

“He wants you to be tested as a potential Spectre,” Nihlus cut in.

“What! Why me?” she asked sharply.

“Shepard, this is an honor, not a punishment,” Sparatus reminded her.

“An honor? It puts me closer to the Council, which means more political bullshit. I’m a soldier, not a fucking politician!” she snapped coldly.

Nihlus chuckled. He had been expecting this reaction. He was surprised to see the amusement in Sparatus’s eyes at Shepard’s outburst.

“You misunderstand me. Spectres don’t have much to do with politics. You’ll work for the Council directly, nothing more,” Sparatus told her.

“Something tells me that I have no choice in this. Who will be doing my testing?” she asked and sighed in defeat. Nihlus could see that she wasn’t going to make it easy on him.

“Nihlus will be. This is too important for a lesser Spectre to handle. Saren is otherwise occupied so Nihlus will be looking after this,” Sparatus told her.

She stared lethally at the both of them for a moment before shaking her head. She couldn’t believe that they would do this to her. But it looked like she had no choice in the matter.

“One more thing, Verena. You’ll be onboard the SSV Normandy during its first test flight. Captain Anderson will be commanding the vessel. You’ll be his XO. I have the personnel list for the ship. It would be in your best interest to go over it,” Sparatus stated briskly, passing over a datapad.

“Are there any other surprises you want to dump on me?” she asked snidely.

“No, I think we covered everything. The Normandy’s first flight will be in one week,” Sparatus said before dismissing them with a nod.

~oooooooooooo~

Nihlus blocked another punch that was headed for his face. He grunted when Shepard’s foot connected with his stomach; and then growled as she jumped up, planting her foot in the center of his chest. It didn’t hurt, but there was enough force behind the hits to push him back a few steps. Verena was pissed and she was taking her anger out on him. Not that he minded in the least. As far as he was concerned this was foreplay.

He’d already tried to start something when his desires were raging through him, but she had turned and snapped her teeth at him. Just like a female turian would. He had to laugh. He’d taught her too much of their culture; now it was backfiring on him.

“Are you ready to give up?” he taunted when one of his hits knocked her onto her back. He smirked when she nimbly hopped to her feet and delivered a round-house kick to the side of his head.

“What wrong, Nihlus? Worried that a human is going to beat you?” she taunted back, looking down at him with mocking eyes.

Nihlus chuckled as he watched her from the floor. He was enjoying the view so he didn’t see the point in getting up. He snapped his leg out, catching her in the calf. It had enough force behind it to knock her down to the floor with him. He caught her to him, burrowing him face in her neck, taking in her scent. He purred his pleasure when her hands travelled to the softer skin beneath his fringe.

This was the moment he’d been anticipating – when Shepard would work out her frustrations on him. It never failed. He enjoyed it when someone would piss her off or frustrate her. He always reaped the benefits.

Clothes disappeared quickly, hard skin met soft, and noises of passion filled the room as they joined together. Nihlus wished he could take her as a mate - sink his teeth into her skin and cover her with his scent. But that wasn’t to be. It bothered him greatly that he couldn’t do it, but there was nothing he could do about it. His first mistake was falling for a human, but it was a mistake he would gladly make time and again.

They lay on the floor, panting from their exertion. “Do you have everything you need for the mission?” Nihlus asked.

“Need to pick up new armor and a better hand cannon before we leave. My armor was damaged in my last battle,” she grumbled. Nihlus smirked. He’d already seen her armor, but hadn’t said anything. Verena was meticulous about her weapons and armor, and she rarely allowed others to handle them.

He left her on the floor and headed over to the storage area, where he hid things on occasion. He smirked as he heard her follow him. “What did you hide in here this time?” she asked curiously, trying to peek over his shoulder.

He turned and showed her the armor that he’d picked up for her. Shepard wasn’t sure what to say as she examined it. She was happy, but she didn’t like people getting things for her. “Well, are you going to try it on?” Nihlus asked.Shepard slipped the new armor on, noticing that it increased her biotics. It also had better shields than any other armor she’d ever owned.

But she couldn’t accept this - it was too much. “Nihlus…” she started, but didn’t get a chance to protest.

“Shut up and say thank you,” Nihlus grinned, catching her to him. He knew she was about to reject it, but there was no way that he would allow it. He nipped at the skin on her shoulder as she grumbled.

“Fine, I’ll accept the fucking armor,” she grumbled, smirking slightly as she heard him purr.

~ooooooooooo~

Nihlus sat on the bed, watching Shepard sleep. He knew he should leave. Morning would be coming soon. But the look in Sparatus’s eyes earlier in the day made him hesitant to leave Shepard’s apartment. He growled his frustration softly as he remembered the intensity in Sparatus’s eyes. He knew his brother wanted her. He wasn’t sure why he would want her, as the duo was known for their explosive relationship; but that didn’t change the facts. His scent would give him away whenever he was in Shepard’s presence. He knew Sparatus would protest this accusation, but it would be a lie.

He frowned grimly, unsure what to do. He knew that his brother wouldn’t try and steal her away, but the thought that he wanted Shepard brought out his instincts. Nihlus growled once again - this time louder than the last. He was losing the fight against his instincts. If he didn’t leave soon he knew he would wake Verena and stake his claim, making her his mate in reality. The only other solution he could think of was to confront Sparatus.

 ~oooooooooo~

Nihlus walked over to Sparatus’s apartment, just down the path from Shepard’s. He chuckled, wondering if Verena even realized how close she lived to her nemesis. He didn’t know what it was about his brother that irked her so much. He found it amusing, as did Sparatus. He stopped in front of Sparatus’s and glanced at the red-lit panel. For a moment he hesitated. He touched the pad on the door, sending a request for entry. When no one came he punched in his own code and entered. His eyes widened as he caught a scent coming from one of the other rooms. He thought he might be interrupting Sparatus from a mating, but he didn’t hear the usual sounds.

“Sparatus?” Nihlus called out, moving toward the back of the apartment. He watched Sparatus exit his bedroom and his eyes widened when he heard an angry growl. Nihlus tried not to scent the air and it wasn’t easy.

Sparatus walked out of his room, annoyed that he had been disturbed. He glared at his brother. “What is so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?” he muttered, staring at Nihlus.

“We need to talk,” Nihlus stated firmly.

Sparatus hissed his annoyance as he motioned Nihlus over to the couch. He eyed Nihlus, waiting for him to speak. When he stayed silent, Sparatus decided to be the first to break the silence. “What’s so important?” he asked.

“I saw your reaction to Shepard,” Nihlus answered quietly.

Sparatus stared at his brother and growled his frustration softly. “Why are we having this discussion? You already know of my feelings for her,” he bit out.

“Why her? You’re a Councilor! The stigma would be worse for you. Plus, she hates you,” Nihlus reminded him.

“Why do you think I haven’t tried for her or taken her from you?” Sparatus stated coldly.

“Just try it,” Nihlus growled his warning.

“Nihlus, she’s not your mate. You have to remember that. She doesn’t wear your mark,” Sparatus reminded him.

“You know damned well why that is!” Nihlus growled, clenching his fist in his lap. “Leave her alone, Sparatus.”

“I’ll leave her be. I would only touch her as a political move; and then only if you weren’t together,” he stated. He watched his brother look at him curiously and shook his head. He decided to elaborate so Nihlus would understand. ”Humans are here to stay, no matter how much I hate it,” he shrugged. “You thought I would take her out of affection?” he asked. “This has nothing to do with affection. If it does happen, it can’t have anything to do with affection. The stigma…”

He sighed, running his hand over his face as his brother sat silently at his side. “The Normandy project is an attempt to improve relations between our people. Shepard, who is already a hero in the eyes of humanity, would help in solidifying that peace. Humanity has the second largest military fleet in the galaxy and we need a way to have them under our control,” Sparatus continued tiredly.

“So you finally admit that you have feelings for her?” Nihlus asked, his anger growing again.

“Yes. But as I said, nothing will ever come of it. There is no way for it to happen. She’s human and I am the Turian Councilor. Only for political gain would I try something of that nature,” he answered quietly.

You would use her for politics?” Nihlus asked incredulously. “You do realize that if she found out, she’d probably kill you.”

“She won’t find out, nor will you tell her,” Sparatus warned him. Nihlus watched his brother closely and saw the truth of his words. The thought of Sparatus wanting Shepard, even if he wouldn’t pursue his feelings, brought forth his own instincts to mark her.

He thought about Sparatus’s reasoning and it was sound, even if he didn’t like it. Once people saw that the Turian Councilor was with a human female, other turians wouldn’t be so hostile. Especially when that female was Verena. He knew if Sparatus ever followed through with the scheme he just plotted, it would be a lie. Whether he was lying to himself, Nihlus wasn’t sure. He knew for a bit nothing would happen. Sparatus was an honorable turian.

~ooooooooo~

Sparatus watched his brother walk out of his apartment and buried his head in hands. This was a mess. He was falling for his brother’s mate. He couldn’t believe it and didn’t understand it. What was more appalling was that the female was a human. He remembered the first time he’d seen her. It was over a year ago, and he wasn’t surprised that she didn’t remember him when they met again.

She had been with Nihlus when he stopped by for a visit. She had treated him politely, but she was human. Then he saw how she treated his brother and was impressed. She didn’t treat him as a human would treat a lover. She followed turian culture.

The next time he saw her was through video. He was speaking with Nihlus and she happened to be there. He was impressed with her way of thinking. She hadn’t hesitated when he said someone needed to die. He thought for sure that she would balk when he gave Nihlus the execution order.

He’d seen her many times over the years; always without her knowledge. He would contact her to annoy her, just to hear her voice. He knew shortly after their first meeting that he was in trouble, but he put on a show of not caring. It was the only way he survived. He couldn’t let her know. She belonged to Nihlus.

~oooooooooo~

Nihlus stood hesitantly in front of Shepard’s door. He wasn’t sure how she would react to his plan. He planned on marking her; taking her as his mate so no other turian could take her from him. For a human Shepard was very desirable and he knew that she had the respect of many turians. The downfall was that she had been adamant in her desire to protect him. With a nervous twitch he punched in his code and entered the quiet apartment.

Shepard’s even breathing could be heard as she slept peacefully. He moved slowly until he stood in the doorway of her bedroom. He leaned against the frame, his arms crossed as he flared his mandibles in a smile. She was sprawled across the bed. Her head started at one corner, and one of her feet was near the other corner, where he usually slept. He knew as soon as he stepped in the room she would awaken; probably with a gun or blade in hand. He couldn’t remember which weapon she brought to bed the previous night.

“Nihlus, why are you still here?” she asked, her voice slurred from sleep.

He blinked his eyes slowly, surprised that she had known he was standing there without looking. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t sure what her reaction would be if he climbed onto the bed with her. “I couldn’t leave you here alone,” he answered honestly.

He moved into the room, watching as she sat up. The blankets fell from her body, leaving her nude. Slowly he made his way to her, taking a seat on the bed beside her. She sat there glaring at him. He reached out a hand, running a claw from her cheek to the light mark he made when he nipped her on her shoulder.

She tilted her head to the side to allow him better access and moaned softly. “Nihlus, we shouldn’t. You should be out of here before morning and that is less than an hour away,” she told him breathlessly.

“No,” he growled, pulling her close to him. He buried his face in the crook of her shoulder, his mandibles fluttering against her skin. “I’m not leaving.”

“Nihlus…” she whispered. He didn’t allow her to finish the protest. His tongue filled her mouth, taking in her sweet scent; coaxing her to answer his desire. It didn’t take long before her tongue was tangling with his. He may not be able to kiss like a human, but he could use his tongue better than any man she’d ever known.

He purred as she clutched at him, her nails digging into the sensitive skin beneath his fringe. “Mine!” he growled, nipping at her shoulder. His other hand dipped lower, finding her wet and ready for him. That wasn’t good enough for him now. He wanted her writhing for him. He wanted her scent to overwhelm him. Gently he inserted a claw into her depths, brushing it softly against the bundle of nerves within her.

He growled his pleasure when she called out his name, her teeth latching onto his shoulder. He stiffened, waiting for her to break skin; but she refused. “Bite me. Mark me!” he demanded, holding her head in place.

He hissed as he felt her teeth pierce the softer skin on his neck. He roared his pleasure, his own teeth piercing her soft skin; holding her place as he mounted her. He didn’t fight his instincts. He didn’t fight his body’s desires. His marking scent filled the room, covering her. Mine!

~ooooooooooooo~

Sparatus lay back in his bed and thought about Verena. He silently wished his brother luck. He knew Nihlus deserved happiness, especially given their past. He frowned grimly as he thought back on his youth. Their parents had separated and they each lived with a different one. He had lived with his mother and step-father, but Nihlus had lived with their father. He never met the man, but had heard stories of him. He was a great fighter and a lover of humans. He’d received a terrible reputation among turians due to his dalliances with humans. The final straw was when he mated with a human, just as Nihlus was probably doing right now.

He would do what he could to make sure Nihlus didn’t suffer as their father had. At least he picked a worthy mate. It hurt to think of the two of them together, but he would protect them to the best of his ability. It was the least he could do for his brother.


	3. Chapter 3

The Normandy was not what Shepard was expecting. The ship was state of the art; its design a combination of both turian and human influences. “How long have you known about this ship?” she asked Nihlus.

“Since the turians and humans came to an agreement,” Nihlus explained. “Sparatus told me about it one night. I honestly didn’t think that it would come to be. In the beginning there were quite a few disputes concerning this joint venture. Sparatus and the rest of the Councilors almost stopped it. With the history of turian and human relations, such problems were to be expected. I am surprised that the ship was completed without another war starting between our two races.” He grinned impishly at her before continuing. Verena knew that she wasn’t going to like the next thing he was going to say. “They don’t know what they are missing out on with regards to your race,” Nihlus purred with a suggestive look.

“Nihlus…” she warned. They were too close to the ship and she wanted to hide their relationship from everyone onboard. She even wore a high-necked shirt to cover up the bite mark that Nihlus left on the crook of her shoulder.

“Quit worrying. Humans won’t know the difference. Turians will smell my scent, but you don’t need to worry. I will be the only turian onboard,” Nihlus muttered, annoyed.

“You better hope so. This trip is going to be hard enough without rumors of fraternization between us,” she bit out, glaring at him.

“I don’t understand what humans have against using sex to relieve stress. On a turian ship it’s expected to happen,” Nihlus grumbled, shaking his head in annoyance.

“You don’t have to understand it. It’s just a rule you need to follow - no fraternization between humans onboard an Alliance ship,” she explained tiredly. They had been having this argument since she first told him of the rule and that was months ago.

“And you expect me to go months without relieving stress?” Nihlus asked, looking at her incredulously. “No way, Verena! It’s not happening.”

“Nihlus, we may not have a choice,” she told him softly.

Her breath caught as he leaned forward, placing his forehead against hers. “I’ll keep a low profile, but if there is a chance for me to have you, nothing will stop me. You’re my mate now. They can’t stop me from being with you.” He growled and then nipped her shoulder through the thin material of her shirt.

She bit off a moan and glanced quickly around, praying that they hadn’t been seen. She turned her focus back to Nihlus and glared at him. “You’re pushing it. Keep it up and you won’t get anything,” she growled, stepping into the decontamination chamber.

“I’d like to see you try,” he murmured as he stepped in behind her. He smirked as she kept quiet. He understood where she was coming from, but he hated that there was no fraternization between crew members. Now he was wishing they had taken a spot on a turian ship.

He was about to say more, but the door opened. He was shocked at what he saw. The layout was similar to a turian ship, but there were differences. He was the first one to step foot onto the ship while Verena took everything in. Her eyes were calculating as she looked at everything and everyone. His own eyes narrowed as he saw her looking closely at a nearby human male.

Nihlus vaguely remembered him from the trial. Now he wondered how Verena knew him. The look on her face didn’t sooth him at all. “Kaidan,” she called. He heard the happiness in her voice and didn’t bother biting off the growl that rose in his throat. He wanted to slice his talons through the male human’s soft stomach and watch as he pled for mercy. There would be none as far as he was concerned.

Verena ignored the growl coming from Nihlus. “How did you get recruited onto this ship?” she asked, shocked at seeing him onboard.

“They are only looking for the best. Joker is here, too,” Kaidan replied, smiling warmly at her.

“You’ve got to be shitting me. Joker?” she asked, her mouth agape. She had only met the pilot once face to face and that was while he was in school. She had seen him more times than he was aware of, she was certain. Once was at the academy. She’d been asked to come back as a guest speaker. He hadn’t been in the crowd listening to her speech because he’d been out on a flight test. Verena and a few others had gone to watch him fly. They’d heard rumors that he was the best the academy had to offer and she wanted to see what he was capable of. She had to grin at his spirit. He was always showing up his teachers. Back then she’d decided that if she ever got a ship of her own, she’d want him as the pilot.

Now she was shaking her head at herself. She should have looked over the roster. It would have prevented her current embarrassment. She heard Nihlus snickering at her. “Keep it up, Turian, and I’m going to use your plating for my new armor,” she threatened halfheartedly. She grumbled as his snickers turned to outright laughter.

Kaidan’s eyes widened as he heard her threat. He knew the turian was a Spectre. He knew Shepard was good, but to threaten a Spectre wasn’t a good idea. What shocked him most was that the turian was laughing and not insulted in the least. It made him wonder if he was the one who pulled the strings to move Shepard’s trial ahead.

“Where is Captain Anderson?” Verena asked.

“He is checking on the rest of the crew members. We have a few green horns onboard, so he’s making sure they stay in line,” Kaidan told her. He personally thought the captain should have waited until Shepard was onboard so he could leave the training to her. Shepard didn’t suffer fools gladly. She would have sniffed out the weak links and send them packing before they departed the Citadel.

“Are we waiting for anyone else?” she asked as she gave the CIC a quick once-over.

“There are three crewmen who haven’t checked in, but they still have an hour before departure,” Kaidan answered with a straight face. He had to force the smirk off his face. He hoped they arrived soon or they would be feeling the wrath of Shepard as soon as they stepped onboard. I would really hate to be them, he thought with amusement. He remembered when he first met Shepard. He had been one of those people who had been late and she had almost skinned him alive.

“Have them report to me as soon as they arrive,” she ordered coldly.

“Commander, the captain will take care of it.” The comment came from a crewman standing behind her. She turned her cold gaze to the intruder. The name tag said Pressly. It would be an understatement to say that she was irritated with his addition to the conversation.

“Name and rank,” she ordered. Her voice turned cold and hard as her eyes narrowed lethally toward him. Kaidan covered his mouth to hide the chuckle that began to break free. He noticed the turian smiling behind her. At least he assumed that was what the expression meant.

“Navigator Pressly, ma’am. I’m the Chief Navigator, ma’am,” he answered quickly. He stood at attention while fear trickled down his spine. He couldn’t meet her gaze even if he tried. When she first boarded he assumed that she would be like most other commanding officers and allow the Captain to handle disciplinary measures. However, as soon as she turned her attention toward him, he knew he had been dead wrong. Now he was trying to figure out a way to save his skin from the wrath he saw in her eyes.

“Never question me, Pressly. If Captain Anderson were here, he would have already ordered me to ‘talk’ with those that were late,” she told him. Pressly heard her, but he didn’t think the Captain would want her to ‘talk’ to them in the way she was planning. Regardless, he wasn’t going say a word of what he thought.

“She’s right, I would have,” Anderson stated as he walked onto the CIC deck. He still couldn’t believe Shepard was here. He was concerned about how their working relationship would develop after the trial. He hoped that she didn’t think he had a part to play in that fiasco. “Have they shown up yet?” he asked her.

She was one of the scariest people he’d ever met, but he had a great deal of respect for her. The only time she became scary was when her direct order was questioned. Other than that she was very understanding, considering her rank and past. She had a commanding presence that most people lacked. She was able to snap out an order and it would be followed without question. He didn’t know how she did it. Most people had to work hard to have people listen to them the way they listened to her.

Anderson was one of those. He’d been a captain for several years, and he’d spent the last couple with the same crew. This mission changed that. There were a few new faces on the crew list, as the Alliance wanted nothing but the best for the Normandy. Alenko, Shepard and the Spectre had all been added to his normal crew due to the importance on this trip.

“No sir, they haven’t. I’ll inform you once I’ve finished my reprimand,” she stated, nodding briskly to him.

He watched as she walked the CIC, looking over the shoulders of some of the crew. He smirked as she walked up to the map and examined the course he’d plotted. He had to admit that she was good at leading and looking out for people. You simply didn’t want to cross her.

Captain Anderson’s attention turned to the turian. He wasn’t happy that they had a Spectre onboard, but humanity had requested one of their own to be tested for the elite unit. He’d been informed that Udina and Admiral Hackett had chosen Shepard. He couldn’t fault them for their choice. She was the best. Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to tell her of the testing and that fact bothered him greatly. He had read over her dossier and worked with her a few times. Her dossier was impressive, to say the least and some of it shouldn’t be read before going to sleep. It was the thing of nightmares.

Shepard walked down the gangway toward Joker. She smirked as she watched him look over his control panel. “I guess showing up all those instructors finally paid off,” Shepard commented when she was right behind him.  
Joker’s eyes widened. He’d heard that Shepard was going to be onboard, but he hadn’t believed it until she stepped through the airlock with the turian. He was thrilled at the prospect of working with her. She was a living legend. They talked about some of the stuff she did while he was in the academy.

“It takes the best to fly this ship and I am the best,” he said and smirked over his shoulder at her.

“Uh-huh. We will see about that one,” Shepard smirked as he glared at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you many chances to prove it.”

“Commander, why does that almost sound like a threat?” Joker asked with a grin. He had heard of some of her missions and knew it wasn’t a threat. It was the truth.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” she laughed, walking away.

Her smirk fell as she saw Anderson talking with Nihlus. She could just imagine what that was all about. She moved closer to them and heard them talking about the next mission. It sounded simple enough. They were to pick up some element zero and store it on the ship until they could bring it back to the Citadel.

“How long is this test run scheduled to be?” she asked Anderson.

“However long it takes,” Anderson answered. He wasn’t sure how long he was supposed to keep her in the dark about becoming a Spectre. He knew that when she found out, the chances were good that she wouldn’t be impressed. He thought about letting Nihlus have the honor of informing her.

~oooooooooo~

She stood behind Joker as he pulled from the Citadel. The late crew members were onboard and accounted for. She smirked as she thought of her meeting with them. She knew they would never be late again. “Take her out, Joker, and let’s show the Council some style,” she smirked as he grinned.

“You got it, Commander,” he answered.

She watched as he took them out and headed for one of the Mass Effect relays. Nihlus stood beside her, and she could see that the crew was leery about having him onboard. “Shepard, meet me down in the lower level. We should practice your hand to hand,” Nihlus ordered before walking away.

Kaidan chuckled as the turian walked away. “Does he know what he is getting himself into?” he asked.

“Yes, Kaidan, Nihlus and I have practiced together quite a few times,” she answered with a smirk as his eyes widened.

“So you do know him. Is he why your court date was moved ahead?” he asked, his eyes showing his curiosity.

“Him and Sparatus. From what I understand they were already talking to Udina. All I know is that they came and spoke with me and then the next morning I was in court. One week earlier than expected,” she answered, trying not to give more away than what was already known.

“Never heard of anyone named Sparatus,” Kaidan commented, looking at her quizzically.

“He’s the Turian Councilor,” she answered and watched as his eyes widened.

“The Turian Councilor? He hates humanity. Why wouldn’t he jump at the chance to have one of our best sent to jail?” he asked incredulously.

“Sparatus may hate humanity, but he hates being lied to even more. That is what Udina did,” Shepard told him. “If Sparatus had his way, Udina would have been put away for a while; but the other Councilors wouldn’t go for that.”

“You seem to know him pretty well,” Kaidan commented, looking at her expectantly.

“I’ve talked to him a few times,” she answered, shrugging.

“What about the Spectre? How do you know him?” Kaidan asked with a raised brow.

“Nihlus? I’ve known him for a while. We met months ago on a mission,” Shepard shrugged as she inched away from them and prepared to beat a hasty retreat. When they didn’t notice, she nodded to them and escaped to a safer location.

~ooooooooooo~

Sparatus sat in his office chair, watching out his window as the Normandy left port. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the two of them leaving. His gut told him something was going to go wrong, but he ignored that feeling. He couldn’t believe anything bad would happen to Nihlus and Shepard.

With a sigh Sparatus turned back to the paperwork that was waiting him. He groaned, burying his head in his hands. He couldn’t focus properly at the moment and that annoyed him. His mind was still focused on Shepard and Nihlus. He could understand why Nihlus’ departure bothered him. Nihlus was his brother and he wouldn’t be seeing him for a long while. However, the fact that he was bothered by Verena leaving annoyed him. He knew why he thought of her. He could admit it to himself, even though he would never speak the words aloud.

He groaned as an idea came to him. He knew if he followed through with that idea, Nihlus would tease him for a long time. He couldn’t, wouldn’t contact them during this test run. He could go months without hearing from Shepard. He had done it before and it only bothered him slightly – didn’t he wish that was the truth!

He wasn’t going to contact them. He would bury himself in his work until he forgot all about her. Then things would be back to normal for him and he could continue hating ALL humans - Verena included. That thought brought tightness to his chest that angered him. He was supposed to be feeling like this for a turian, not a human.

~ooooooooo~

Nihlus stood in the Cargo Bay, waiting for Shepard to arrive. He raised a brow ridge when she entered the area. He was surprised that she wasn’t here sooner. Verena rarely missed the chance for a good practice round. He smirked as she started her warm up. He swallowed thickly when she spread her legs wide and stretched over one of them. He was starting to appreciate the human need to stretch. He tried to focus on anything else when he felt his plates start to shift. That was the last thing he needed at the moment. If it continued, their fighting would evolve into something else entirely. “Took you long enough,” he grumbled as a way to distract himself.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Shepard muttered as she took up her fighting stance.

Nihlus acted first. His fist shot out, just missing Shepard. He wasn’t fast enough to dodge Shepard’s retaliation. From there they moved quickly, neither holding back as kicks and punches were thrown. The more they fought, the more it invigorated them; making them both push their limits more.

People slowly gathered in the Cargo Bay. Neither fighter noticed as the space filled to watch them fight. Captain Anderson stood near the back with a clear view of the fighters.

He watched them, amazed at the speed there were using for practicing. He could see that they were evenly matched, and that they were used to each other’s fighting style. He wasn’t sure what to make of it, but it made him wonder.  
He could see their fighting change to something more and shook his head. He should have guessed, but he never thought that they knew each other that well. He thought about having the group of people leave to give them privacy; but that was too close to giving them permission and he couldn’t do that.

“I think that’s enough sparring for one day,” his voice whipped out, breaking the two of them apart before they embarrassed themselves.

“Yes, sir,” Commander Shepard muttered, her voice breathless and her face flushed. Nihlus smirked as he watched his mate.

Nihlus scowled at the human. His body was raging with want for Shepard. While fighting he thought about moving them to the Mako, out of sight of the rest of the crew; but now he knew that wasn’t an option. Anderson’s eyes told him that he knew exactly where their fight was leading.

“Commander, meet me on CIC. Nihlus, I’ll speak with you later,” Anderson ordered. “The rest of you return to your stations,” he ordered coldly.

He glared at Nihlus as the turian scowled at him. He wasn’t about to back down from the Spectre, even though the turian could disobey any order he gave.

“Yes, sir,” Shepard muttered, scowling at Nihlus. Her eyes promised retribution. She knew Anderson was going to question her. He must have seen something that set off his alarms. She wasn’t sure what to answer if he started asking personal questions.

They watched Captain Anderson walk out of the Cargo Bay. “You do realize that I’m going to be questioned while he leaves you the fuck alone,” Shepard hissed.

“Verena, you don’t have to answer any question that he asks you,” Nihlus told her, his claws lightly trailing along her arms and making her shiver.

“Don’t I wish? If he believes it will affect the mission, I have to answer,” Shepard sighed, glaring at Nihlus with annoyance.

Nihlus felt guilt sweep over him. The last thing he wanted was to have her go through this. He bowed his head, his forehead meeting hers. “Let me talk with him first,” he suggested.

“There is nothing you can do. I have to do this,” she told him. She glanced at him and worried what would happen now. There was a chance, though a small one, that she could be asked to leave the ship. There was also a chance that she wouldn’t be given permission to go on missions. The chances of that were quite slim, however, as she knew she was being tested as a Spectre candidate.

Verena made her way to CIC. Anderson was at the map rechecking his course. She stood there waiting for him to finish. She was pretty sure that he knew she was there. Time past slowly for her as she waited. To move things more quickly she cleared her throat. “Sorry, Shepard, I didn’t realize you were there,” Anderson muttered.

Shepard was shocked to hear that. She could see that he wasn’t lying. This was one thing she didn’t understand. He’d been a captain for years and he hadn’t noticed her. To her way of thinking that wasn’t good. People died when they weren’t in tune with their environment. It also made her wonder what had him so occupied.

“You requested my presence, sir?” she reminded him.

“Follow me,” Anderson ordered. Verena followed him down the stairs and hid her groan when he led her to his office. She didn’t bother taking a seat on one of the chairs; nor did she utter a word. This was a conversation he would have to start, but she wasn’t sure if her patience would last that long. “Take a seat,” Anderson ordered, motioning toward the office chair.

“If it’s all the same, I’ll stay standing, sir,” Shepard stated coldly.

“Shepard, you know fraternization is against protocol. I can’t allow it to continue while onboard this ship. You should have known better than to get involved with a Spectre, especially one you are going to be working with,” he snapped, glaring at her.

“For you information, sir, Nihlus and I were together long before I knew about this posting and long before the trial. I know fraternization isn’t allowed, sir, but don’t accuse me of starting a relationship with him because humans want a Spectre!” she sneered, glaring at him coldly.

Anderson looked at her in shock. “Nihlus told you that you were being tested for a possible Spectre position?” he asked hesitantly. As far as he knew, she hadn’t been informed and wasn’t supposed to be. He was glad it was Nihlus who told her and not him. Now he could breathe easier, since there was nothing else to hide from her.

“Nihlus and Sparatus took great delight in informing me that Nihlus would be testing me. It was Sparatus’s choice that I become a Spectre, since he didn’t like the list Udina gave him,” she grumbled, scowling at the same hands that wanted to choke the life out of Sparatus. She didn’t know what it was about that turian, but he brought out the worst in her.

“I’m not sure who this Sparatus is, but he doesn’t have the authority to put you forward as a potential Spectre. Udina was the one who chose your name,” he informed her with a confused look.

Shepard sighed irritably. She hated that she knew the higher officials names better than her captains or other humans did. “Sparatus is the Turian Councilor. Udina wouldn’t have put me near that much power if he had a choice. Especially not after what he was about to do during the trial, or how he set me up to place himself on the good side of the Council,” she snapped. She couldn’t believe she had to explain this to him, but Anderson wasn’t one for intrigue. He was a straight player. He didn’t do backstabbing or ‘plots within plots’ unless he had to.

“Did the Turian Councilor know you were with Nihlus when he named him as the one who would test you?” Anderson asked nervously.

“Yes, he knows. He’s known since the beginning of the relationship,” she muttered wryly.

She was about to continue when the door opened. Verena didn’t need to see who it was. She knew her mate’s scent. “Captain Anderson,” Nihlus greeted. “I assume there is no problem here.” Verena could hear the warning in Nihlus’ voice. She cringed, not sure what her lover was about to do.

“Spectre, you know the Alliance rules with regards to fraternization onboard a ship,” Anderson reminded him.

“As you’ve said, I’m a Spectre. We don’t follow the rules that govern you. I’m also a turian, and a guest onboard your ship at the request of the Council. What I do or don’t do is not your business, Captain. It would be best for you to remember this in the future,” Nihlus growled, giving a threating grin.

Anderson heard the message, and now he wasn’t sure what to do. Commander Shepard was still part of the Alliance and he still had command over her actions, but what the Spectre said was right. “I may have no say where you are concerned, Spectre, but I do have one where Shepard is concerned,” Anderson spat, glaring at him. “I will not allow fraternization aboard my ship!”

Nihlus started to argue the point, but decided to leave it be. What the Captain didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. He glanced at Verena and saw her annoyance. He wasn’t sure who it was directed at and he really didn’t want to find out.

Verena pinched the bridge of her nose. She wanted to give Nihlus shit, but she knew he hadn’t meant to make things harder than they were. She now knew that they would have to be very careful. Anderson would be watching their every move. In a way she didn’t blame him. He was only following the rules, but it still annoyed her. She never understood the rule about fraternizing with crew members. The turians had been doing it for years and they rarely had problems with it.

She knew a large part of it had to do with emotions, but people learned how to deal with that. It was part and parcel of being a soldier. People died. You either had to accept that early on or choose a different profession if you couldn’t.

“Dismissed,” Anderson ordered. He knew there was going to be fraternization even if he didn’t want it. He decided in that moment to turn a blind eye to what they did. The hassle wouldn’t be worth it, and Shepard was on the list to become a Spectre.

Nihlus stood outside the office beside Verena. “If that human thinks he can stop me, he better think again. He will not stop me from being with my mate,” he growled, his voice quiet enough to keep anyone around from hearing.

“Nihlus, you may not want to follow the rules, but I have to,” she reminded him.

“Verena…” he growled, glaring at her. She raised a hand, stopping his argument.

“But that doesn’t mean I haven’t broken rules before,” she grinned.

Nihlus stared at her for a second and chuckled, his anger disappearing. “You’ll pay for making me suffer like that,” he warned.

“Better make it good, Turian,” she grinned, winking at him and preparing to walk away.

“Don’t worry, Verena, I will. But when you have a few moments, I need to talk with you,” Nihlus told her.

“You just want me alone to finish our match,” she grinned unrepentantly.

“No, it’s something else. Something I should have told you before, but never could,” Nihlus muttered, shrugging.

“You know, you’re a real mood killer,” she grumbled, glaring at him. “Fine, let’s go talk.”

~oooooooooo~

Anderson was about to leave his office, but stopped when he heard Nihlus and Shepard talking. He knew they wouldn’t be following his orders. He rolled his eyes when he heard Shepard’s comment, but he knew that they wouldn’t disturb the crew or announce it to everyone. What shocked him most was that Nihlus called her his mate and Shepard didn’t refute the claim. He wondered if the turian term of mate was the same as it was with humans. If that was so, he wondered what that meant for them and if he should be treating them as a married couple. If he could treat them as a married couple, then he wouldn’t have to worry about the fraternization clause.

He thought about stepping out of his office and seeing their reactions. Just to let them know he had heard. He decided that he liked living more than being glum. Well, he could honestly say that it would be interesting with the two of them on board. He didn’t think this flight test was going to be boring.

~oooooooooooo~

Verena sat on one of the crates, starting at Nihlus in stunned silence. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. Sparatus was his brother. Holy shit, was all she could think. “Are you serious?” she asked, stunned.

“Quite serious,” he answered, grinning. He hadn’t expected her to be this surprised, but the look on her face was beyond amusing.

“But how? You told me your father moved around a lot,” she asked.

He had been expecting this question and it was a topic that he didn’t like talking about. Since he was following in his father’s footsteps, taking a human as a mate, she needed to know. “Sparatus and I share the same mother. My father left shortly after I was born and took me with him. He took a human as a wife, but that placed a stigma on his name. If it wasn’t for Sparatus, I would never have been able to become a Spectre or wear my paint. After I turned old enough to join the military, Sparatus found me. I stayed with him for many years. When he became a Councilor, we moved to the Citadel and I entered Spectre training. The rest you know,” Nihlus explained to her.

Verena had moved so she was leaning against him, giving him the support he needed. He would never ask for it, but she could see the tension in his body. “Damn! Does this mean I have to like him?” she asked, smirking.

Nihlus laughed softly. “No, it doesn’t, but I would ask one thing. If something ever does happen to me, I need you to watch over Sparatus. He would lose himself in his work and he has no family anymore. When he took me in, he lost respect with our mother,” he said.

“Yeah, I’ll watch over him. I can’t promise not to give him a hard time, though,” she said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less. Your antagonizing way is just what he’ll need if I pass,” Nihlus answered, smiling down at his mate. He knew he could count on her. His gut was telling him that this mission was not going to be what they expected. Something about this test flight was going to go wrong.

“Thank you, mate,” he whispered before brushing his mandibles against her neck. Verena wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close as she breathed in his musky scent. Nihlus glanced over his shoulder at the Mako and grinned. He rose to his feet and walked backwards; leading her to a place of greater privacy.

“You’ve got to be joking,” she chuckled.

“Nope,” he murmured before running his tongue along her lips. She gasped and he took advantage of the opening, taking a deeper taste of her. He turned them so that he could lift her into the Mako. He grinned as she quickly scooted back, making more room for him. As quietly as possible he closed the door behind them and made good on his promise.


	4. Chapter 4

Verena smirked as she thought of the past few months. She didn’t know how Nihlus managed it, but he’d secured time alone with her several times since the mission began. On one occasion Alenko had found them, but the soldier never mentioned anything about it when she saw him the next day.

  
Now her focus was on Eden Prime. It was labeled as a retrieval mission. She wasn’t sure what the payload was, but it didn’t matter. It was just another job to prove herself as a possible Spectre. She was currently in the Mako with Nihlus. It was late at night and there was no one else around. Joker had given her the news that they would reach Eden Prime the next day and she was enjoying some ‘down time’ before the mission began.

  
“How was your talk with Sparatus earlier?” Nihlus asked. She was still shocked that Sparatus and Nihlus were related. What surprised her even more was that she was actually starting to enjoy her chats with the Turian Councilor. She found the verbal spars quite invigorating. She always had to be on her toes with him. She glanced at Nihlus and knew she could never admit to anyone that she enjoyed those talks or ‘battle of wills’; whichever you wished to call it.

  
“Fine, though I still don’t understand why he wants to speak with me,” she muttered. Nihlus smirked. He knew why, but he wasn’t going to tell her. He didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do. He’d seen the look in his brother’s eyes when he spoke with Shepard. Sparatus was lonely and he needed to hear from them. He knew Sparatus would never admit it; any more than Shepard would ever admit softening toward the Councilor.

A part of him worried, but he knew there was no reason. Sparatus wouldn’t touch Shepard. He was an honorable turian. “He’s a Councilor. He doesn’t need a reason,” Nihlus murmured, pulling her closer as she leaned back against him.

"Why are we going to" she asked quietly.

  
“You’ll find out tomorrow,” he murmured. He nipped at her neck, trying to distract her.

“If we keep using the Mako for our pleasure, someone is going to find out,” Shepard said and gasped as Nihlus’ hand reached down and found her sweet spot. She reached back with one hand, her nails digging into the soft skin beneath his fringe. Her other hand glided along the seam that hid him from view.

“Don’t give a fuck,” he grunted as she found him; his shaft springing free into her waiting hand. Shepard smirked as she heard him growl, and gasped when he lifted her. They both groaned as Nihlus united them.

~ooooooooooo~

Shepard stood in the conference room with Nihlus. Captain Anderson was supposed to meet her there, but he hadn’t shown yet.

“What’s going on?” she asked, moving up beside him.

“We are approaching Eden Prime. This is our final destination before I hand in my report to the Council,” Nihlus told her.

“So what are we supposed to pick up here?” she asked him.

“We are picking up a Prothean beacon,” Captain Anderson answered her question as he walked into the room. He glanced at the two of them, keeping his mouth shut about the reports that he had been receiving over the past few months. They thought they had been private, but the Mako was not private. He had received multiple complaints. Even he was shocked that they would use the Mako. He didn’t know what he could say; not when Shepard was going to be a Spectre very soon. He could reprimand her, but what would be the point? She would become a Spectre in a few days and nothing could touch her. He highly doubted the Council would enforce the reprimand.

“Prothean? Are you sure?” she asked, shocked.

“Yes, we are sure,” Anderson answered.

Shepard glanced between the two men before her. A functional Prothean beacon would be an enormous find. She was about to say more, but Joker’s voice cut them off. They turned to the view screen, their eyes widening as they saw people on Eden Prime under attack.

“Shit,” she whispered.

“How long, Joker?” Anderson asked.

“Twenty minutes, Captain,” he answered. “We are the only ship close enough to provide aid.”

“Shepard, get your crew ready. As soon as we are in range you’ll be dropped. The beacon is your first priority. Civilians are second,” Anderson ordered as he exited the conference room.

~oooooooooooooo~

 Nihlus stared at the screen. Shepard had gone to get dressed and he was left alone with his thoughts. His gut was screaming at him that something terrible was going to happen. He didn’t know why, but something told him that he wouldn’t see the end of this mission. He’d been having that feeling for a few days and had taken steps to prepare for the worst possible outcome. He’d recorded a final message for Shepard. He was about to send it to her personal computer, but was interrupted by an incoming call. He wasn’t surprised that it was Sparatus.

“Nihlus?” Sparatus questioned when he saw the turmoil in his brother’s eyes.

“It’s nothing,” Nihlus stated before Sparatus could interrogate him. “I’ll get Shepard for you.” He couldn’t face his brother right now. He knew Sparatus would find a way to get him to confess his fears. That was something Nihlus didn’t want.

Sparatus stared at the screen in shock. He wanted to talk to Nihlus, but it seemed that it wasn’t about to happen. He would have to relay his message through Shepard.

~oooooooooooo~

“Verena, Sparatus wishes to speak with you,” Nihlus muttered. He found her on the CIC deck, looking over a datapad. He knew she was reading reports that Joker could get from here.

“What does that ass want now?” she asked, annoyed.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself? I would suggest not calling him an ass, though,” Nihlus warned her, chuckling as he walked away.

She moved up in front of the screen, rolling her eyes as a large image of Sparatus appeared. “To what do I owe this honor?” she asked sarcastically.

“Why is it that when others ask that question, there is respect in those words; yet when you ask, there is only scorn?” Sparatus asked wryly.  
 

“Why is it that you keep demanding to talk with me when you know I don’t like you?” she asked sweetly.

“And that is where I believe you are wrong, Verena,” he chuckled with amusement. “I think you do like me. More than you want to admit. You simply choose to hide your affection behind sarcasm.”

Verena stopped trying to read what those words actually meant. That was the problem with the Turian Councilor. His words could have many meanings. He was also quite talented with sarcasm and enjoyed using it. Sure, she considered him a friend. He was the only turian she’d ever met that could take her sarcasm and give it back in equal measure. She would try and insult him, only to have him brush it casually aside. They weren’t best friends, but he was a friend… of sorts. She didn’t think that was what he meant, however. There was something more to his words that he wouldn’t explain. She decided to go on a hunch and take a gamble to see if her assumption was correct.

“Gee, Sparatus, you’re sounding desperate. Flirting with a human. What happened? You can’t find a nice turian girl to date?” she asked sweetly.

“Desperate? Hardly! Don’t read more into it than what I said,” he snapped.

“Then why do you want to talk with me?” she asked with annoyance.

“I wanted to talk with Nihlus, but he left. Something is bothering him and I am sure you know what it is,” he commented, looking at her expectantly.

“No, I don’t. He’s been distracted for the past few days. He won’t say what’s bothering him,” she sighed. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with Sparatus. It was one of the most normal conversations they’d ever had. She could see his worry and felt for him. She was worried, too.

“Verena, find out what’s going on before you land,” Sparatus ordered. “He can’t be distracted during a mission.”

“Sparatus, he’s not talking about it and I am not going to push. We are minutes away from being dropped off. Eden Prime came under attack and I still need to get ready, Councilor,” she stated.

“What do you mean ‘Eden Prime is under attack’?” he asked harshly.

“Exactly what I said. I’m cutting communications. I have a job to do, Sparatus,” she snapped and reached toward the control panel.

Sparatus felt a shiver of fear rush through him. “I want your coms open. I personally want to see what’s going on,” Sparatus stated. That probe was too important to lose. He knew he would need solid proof of any problems. The Council needed to know details. That probe may have important information.

Shepard switched on her com, pressing a few buttons on her omnitool. “Do you have video?” she asked.

“Audio and video clear. Let Nihlus know that I want his up, too,” Sparatus ordered. “And Verena… keep an eye on Nihlus.” He had a bad feeling about this and hoped that she would watch his brother’s back.

Verena nodded and cut communications. She was worried, too. Nihlus kept avoiding her questions when she asked what was bothering him.

Verena moved quickly to the docking bay. Nihlus was already suited up, and the rest of the crew was ready and waiting for her. She quickly went to her locker and pulled out her suit.

“What took so long, Shepard?” Captain Anderson asked, giving her an annoyed look.

“Councilor Sparatus had to speak with me. He ordered live video and audio feed to be sent to him. Nihlus, he ordered you to do the same,” Verena stated, giving the captain a pointed look.

Anderson’s eyes widened. He was shocked to hear that the Turian Councilor was involving himself in this mission. He was even more surprised that Shepard was the one who relayed the Councilor’s order. He knew he shouldn’t be, but he was.

~ooooooooooooo~

Nihlus pressed the button on his omnitool, sending a private message to Sparatus. He hoped his brother would do as he asked.

Sparatus opened the message, his eyes opening wide. It was a goodbye and there was nothing he could do about it. He thought about warning Verena, but decided against it. It would distract her from her mission and that couldn’t be allowed to happen. His second option was to order Nihlus to remain onboard the ship, but that would give the impression that he didn’t trust him. All he could do was listen and pray to the spirits that nothing happened.

~oooooooooooooo~

“What are those things?” Kaidan asked worriedly.

“I think those are geth,” Shepard murmured uncertainly.

“Geth, are you sure?” Sparatus asked, shocked. The mechanical beings hadn’t been seen outside the Veil in hundreds of years.

“Yes, I am sure. That is the only explanation,” she muttered. “Nihlus, are you facing geth, as well?” she asked, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

“This place is swarming with them,” he answered quietly.

“They are geth, aren’t they?” she muttered, showing her confusion.

“Yes they are, but there haven’t been sightings of them in centuries,” he murmured. “How’s your new crewman doing?”

“Dead. Shot down by one of the flying machines,” she replied angrily.

Sparatus listened and was shocked to hear that she lost a crew member this soon into the mission. He kept silent, processing what he just heard about the geth. Their appearance on Eden Prime didn’t bode well for the successful recovery of the beacon.

“Shepard, what’s going on?” Nihlus asked after hearing a great deal of gunfire.

“Have to talk in a few. Under heavy fire,” she growled, firing at the closest geth. She glanced back at Kaidan. He was protecting the soldier who’d just joined their group. She ran to the closest geth, shoving it away from her with a biotic surge. She rushed the next closest one, knocking it to the ground with her biotics before placing a bullet in between its optical sensors. She kicked out at a third opponent while bringing the butt of her gun down solidly on a fourth. She turned back to the geth on the ground only to find him held aloft by Kaidan. Before she could react, the female soldier took aim and destroyed the machine.

“Shepard, answer me!” Nihlus hissed when the noise died down.

“Yeah, I’m here. Shit, Nihlus, you know I hate chatting while I’m fighting. It’s fucking distracting,” she snapped, annoyance thick in her voice.

“Shepard…” she heard the warning loud and clear, but was shocked to realize that it was coming from Sparatus and not Nihlus.

“Pansy-ass, fucking turian. So worried about a small scuffle,” she mumbled beneath her breath.

“What was that, Shepard?” Sparatus asked in amusement. He knew no one was supposed to hear it and he should be pissed, but he was used to this and worse from Shepard.

“Nothing,” she muttered, glancing at Kaidan. He had his hand over his mouth, muffling his laughter. She glowered at him, but couldn’t hold the stern look. When she finally had herself under control, she turned to the woman. “Who are you?” she asked, looking her over for any possible injuries. She would have asked how she was, but that would have been a stupid question. The woman had been shot at, trapped and nearly killed. She was probably fine for now. The gravity of the situation wouldn’t hit her until much later.

“Ashley Williams, ma’am, of the 212 regiment,” she answered, watching the commander closely. Relief swept through her now that she wasn’t alone. She only hoped that the commander wouldn’t send her packing or leave her behind. She couldn’t handle that. She needed to get payback. She had a feeling this woman would help her get revenge for her fallen comrades. The commander didn’t seem to be the type to leave things half-done; unlike most high officials.

“Fine. You’re coming with us. Lead us to the probe,” Shepard ordered.

It didn’t take long to get to the beacon’s location. Unfortunately, their arrival was too late. Someone had already moved the beacon from its storage area. This wasn’t looking good. “Nihlus, the probe has been moved,” she informed him.

“Any idea where?” he asked urgently.

“No. We just recruited a soldier from here. She doesn’t know where they moved it. We are heading to the science facility,” she said.

“I see a spaceport up ahead. I’m going to check it out,” he informed her.

“You better keep your ass safe, turian,” she grumbled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep alert. Something about this doesn’t sit right with me. That ship I’ve spotted a few times, in particular. I have never seen anything like it,” he told her before cutting communications.

Sparatus sat in his office chair, listening to the two of them. He was worried for Nihlus, too. The more he heard, the worse it sounded. He smirked as Shepard threatened a field worker when she found out he was buying smuggled goods. He had to grin when she discovered the name of the man’s supplier. He wondered what she would do to him if she found him; though chances were good that he was already dead.

His eyes narrowed as he heard Nihlus greet Saren at the spaceport. He was shocked when he heard Saren’s name. The Spectre was supposed to be elsewhere. This was Nihlus’ run, not his; so it didn’t make sense that he would be on the planet.

His hand fell to his lap and his mandibles went slack as he listened to Saren’s words, followed by the sound of gunfire. He heard a hiss of air and the sound of a body falling to the ground. He instinctively knew that Nihlus was dead. For the first time in ages he allowed his emotions to break free. It had been a while since he lost someone close to him. Betrayal swept through him. Saren, a turian he trusted, turned against them. He couldn’t believe he’d just killed his brother. Saren had trained him, and Nihlus had looked up to him. Because of that trust, Saren was able to kill him easily.

Shepard headed for the spaceport. She hesitated when she saw a body lying on the ground. She didn’t need anyone to tell her who it was. She knew that body very intimately – Nihlus. She ran for all she was worth, dropping to her knees beside his lifeless form. A scream built within her and she let it loose. She buried her face against his chest, weeping openly. Anger and a murderous rage burned through her. She would avenge Nihlus. That was a promise.

“Who did it, Sparatus?” she asked coldly. She waited for an answer, but none came. That worried her.

Sparatus sat at his desk, unable to talk. He couldn’t find the strength to answer Shepard when she demanded to know who’d killed Nihlus. Fury shook his large form as he stared at his screen. He watched rage burn in Shepard’s eyes as she knelt by her mate. Shepard gave him the last view of his brother and the work of a traitor. He wanted blood - Saren’s blood.

~oooooooo~

When Sparatus finally answered, Shepard couldn’t believe her ears. Nihlus had looked up to Saren, and he’d killed him. Sparatus had a deep respect for Saren and she knew this would hit him hard.

They were heading toward a walkway littered with geth. “Hang back. I’m clearing us a path,” she ordered. She let her rage rule her. She needed to use her biotics at full strength, holding nothing back. Kaidan watched as she destroyed their mechanical foes. He was in awe of her skills. He had seen her fight a few times now, but this…This was something more. She wasn’t holding anything back. Now she showed that she was trained to be a weapon. She was deadly. Each move was like a step to a dance, so smoothly done. Every shot counted and did major damage. As one geth would drop, she was already onto the next. She never hesitated. Each move was timed so it wasn’t wasted. One fight led into another, just like a dance.

“Holy shit. I would hate to be that Saren guy,” Ashley murmured as Shepard dismembered her final opponent. They followed behind her, finishing off any geth that still moved. “Why is she so upset about that turian?” she asked quietly.

“He was a Spectre here to evaluate the commander. But there was more to it than that. They were a couple. At first I thought it was for amusement; but I caught them together one day and it was more than that,” he explained, hoping she would understand.

“She had a relationship with a turian?” Ashley asked disgustedly.

“Yes, and I wouldn’t use that tone with her,” Kaidan warned her, looking at Shepard worriedly. He was relieved when she nodded her head in agreement.

“So who is this Sparatus person?” Ashley asked curiously.

“He’s the Turian Councilor. He ordered the commander and Nihlus to keep their communication devices open so he could listen to the mission,” Kaidan replied.

“I heard that the Turian Councilor hates humans,” Ashley commented, confusion evident in her eyes.

“So did I, but he’s spoken to Shepard quite a few times since she boarded the Normandy. It was either her or Nihlus. Never Captain Anderson,” Kaidan muttered. He didn’t understand it, but at the moment he wasn’t going to question it. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

They stepped off the platform and his eyes widened. The geth had set charges all around and they didn’t know how many there were. He watched as Shepard moved quickly to disarm the bombs while he and Ashley covered her. He would have preferred disarming the bombs while Shepard fought, but he didn’t argue the point.

“Ashley, Kaidan, clear the area. I’m moving onto the next one,” Shepard ordered coldly as she slipped by them; using her biotics to keep the geth at bay while she worked. She moved to each bomb quickly, hoping that she was standing at the last one. Ashley and Kaidan held off their enemies so she could work.

“I think that is the last of them,” Verena muttered. She checked over her weapons before she moved onto the next area. “If you have any injuries, take care of them now. I’m hoping that Saren is down there so we can finish this fucking chase,” she bit out harshly.

She motioned for Ashley to take lead. Kaidan followed closely behind her while Shepard took a lookout position. “Kaidan, the best way to do this is for you to lift the geth and we’ll take them out,” Shepard commented.

“You got it, Shepard,” Kaidan answered.

Shepard moved down the ramp, following close behind Ashley. She didn’t have a proper lookout above, so she couldn’t back her team in the way she would have liked. “I’ve got lead,” she commanded. Ashley backed off, waiting for the commander to destroy the last of the geth before them.

Kaidan grimaced as a headache set in. He lifted the last two enemies in the air, waiting for Shepard to take them out. He was thankful it was her and not Ashley. Shepard was quick and deadly with her aim. He wasn’t sure if the same could be said for Ashley.

Shepard glanced around the empty port and hissed. Saren was gone. Her revenge was placed on hold. She sighed, shaking her head. She had hoped, but now that was useless. “Sparatus, he’s gone,” she murmured, wondering if he was still listening.

“Bring me proof that he was there. The word of that dock worker isn’t good enough,” Sparatus growled.

“There is none. He escaped clean,” she sighed. “I’m bringing Nihlus’ body back with us.”

“Contact me as soon as you land. This needs to be dealt with immediately,” he snapped coldly. Silence descended for a few moments.

Shepard thought about cutting coms, but stopped when Sparatus’s voice filled the silence. “Shepard, I’m sorry. Find something, anything. I want Saren’s head,” he hissed.

“You and me both, Sparatus,” she whispered. “Revoke his status so I can get him.” She hoped he would.

“I can’t do it without irrefutable proof. Saren is our top Spectre. The other two Councilors will need solid proof,” he muttered.

“You heard him. Isn’t that good enough?” she asked, her voice filled with hope.

“It might be, but I didn’t see him and the voice wasn’t clear,” Sparatus growled, slamming his hand down onto his desk.

“Shit!” Shepard hissed with feeling.

Her attention snapped toward the beacon when it began to hum. Her eyes widened when she saw Alenko being pulled toward it. Without a second thought she raced to him, knocking him out of the way and taking his place in the grip of the beacon. She tried to break free of the pull, but it was impossible.

A bright flash…. Jumbled images were burned into her brain. Pain lanced through her mind as more images rushed in. She thought her mind was about to explode when sweet oblivion finally took her. The last thing she heard was someone’s growl of rage.

Kaidan rushed to Shepard as she collapsed to the ground. “Normandy, we need immediate evac. Shepard is down!” Kaidan ordered.

“What the hell happened?” Anderson barked.

“The beacon did something to her, sir,” Kaidan answered. He sighed in relief when he saw Joker landing on a nearby platform. Dr. Chakwas and Captain Anderson rushed over to them. Anderson’s eyes widened when he saw the destroyed beacon. He knew there would be repercussions to face later.

He glanced at Alenko. “I want a report!” he barked.

“I was looking at the beacon and a field of some kind began pulling me closer. Shepard knocked me out of the way and then she was captured by the force. I don’t know what that field was, sir,” Alenko answered quickly.

Anderson nodded and sighed. His chances were ruined once by Saren. Now it looked like Saren had struck once more. The chances of Shepard becoming a Spectre now were slim. Between Nihlus’ death and the broken Prothean beacon, the mission had been a complete failure.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus sat in his chair, worry eating at him. Everything froze when he heard Shepard’s cry of pain. First he lost his brother, and now he lost Shepard. He didn’t know what else could go wrong and he didn’t want to know.

He stared at the datapad before him and was tempted to destroy it. But Saren was still out there and he couldn’t allow him to get away with killing Nihlus. He wasn’t sure who to turn to now that Shepard was gone.

He still couldn’t believe she was gone. He didn’t know what happened; but after that cry and then dead silence, he was expecting the worst. He bowed his head. His chest ached from controlling his emotions. If he allowed them out now, the guards would come and discover him. The last thing he needed was the humiliation that came with that.

Sparatus opened the message that Nihlus sent him. He reread it, following the instructions his brother had left. He was going to make sure his requests were followed to the letter. He knew Nihlus’ belongings were to go to him, but he wanted Shepard to have some. If any turians found out, his reputation would be destroyed and everything he had worked so hard for wouldn’t matter.

~oooooooooooooo~

Anderson stood in front of Nihlus’ box, wondering how Shepard would take this. He knew it wasn’t going to be good. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard someone come close. Ashley stood there with a piercing stare on her face. “Is there something I can do for you?” Anderson asked.

“I was wondering what will happen to me now, sir?” she asked, moving up beside him.

“Kaidan told me you’ve earn the right to be placed on the Normandy’s roster. I’ll be informing Commander Shepard when she wakes. For now, I want your report in my office by day’s end,” Anderson ordered.

“Understood, sir. If I may ask, what will happen to the commander now?” she asked.

“That information is confidential,” Anderson replied. He turned back to Nihlus’ body and removed his omnitool. Usually he would be the one to go through it; but in this case he wasn’t sure how to proceed. He knew the Council would want to know everything that was on it.

He glanced at the screen when it opened and sighed. He should have figured that it would be pass-coded and encrypted. One false attempt at the password and everything would be lost. He closed the omnitool and left the cargo bay. He needed to make his own report, but he needed Shepard awake so he could question her. He hoped that she would be able to give some insight into the nightmare of Eden Prime.


	5. Chapter 5

Shepard’s eyes slowly opened. She groaned as a piercing light hit her eyes. The blurry object above her slowly stopped wavering as her vision cleared.

“Dr. Chakwas, I think she’s waking up,” a male voice commented; too loudly for her current comfort level.

Verena focused on the person speaking too loudly and finally made out the face. Kaidan stared at her grimly. She knew that look usually meant something bad. She really didn’t want any more bad news, considering how horrible the mission had gone. “Kaidan, do me a favor and lower your voice, please,” she muttered, glaring at him as he grinned at her.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Chakwas asked kindly as she shined a light into her eyes. Shepard refrained from telling her off. Shining a light in her eyes at this particular moment was NOT kind.

“Like I’ve just gone a round with a bunch of krogans,” she muttered, smirking.

“You look like it, as well,” Kaidan murmured, smirking when she scowled at him. He held his chuckle in. She reminded him so much of how she usually looked after drinking too much. He’d often been forced to haul her to her bedroom after a night of heavy partying when they took shore leave together.

“Gee, thanks. You’re such a charmer,” Shepard grumbled as she slowly sat up. She glared at him once more when he chuckled. Her head hurt too much to laugh with him, so he would have to settle for first-rate dirty looks.

Dr. Chakwas chuckled. She’d never heard anyone express themselves quite like Shepard. “So how did I get back here?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Ashley and I carried you here,” Kaidan answered, smirking. “Just like old times.”

“Thanks. Remind me to buy you a drink when we hit the Citadel,” she grinned.

“Your readings showed unusual brain activity while you were out,” Chakwas commented.

“Yeah. Let’s just call it a nightmare and leave it at that,” Shepard muttered, remembering the visions she’d had while unconscious. The images appeared to be a warning of some type; though their true meaning, as well as their intended recipient, remained unknown to Verena.

“A nightmare?” Chakwas asked, giving her a penetrating stare.

“Yeah, a nightmare. Anything else is insane,” Shepard bit out, giving her a warning look.

“Commander, what was this nightmare about?” the doctor asked with narrowed eyes.

“What are any soldier’s nightmares about? Death, destruction. What else could a nightmare I would have be about?” Shepard asked mockingly.

“Commander, if this has something to do with the probe we need to know,” Chakwas explained, looking at her hopefully.

Shepard sighed and shook her head. She really didn’t want to explain this, but it appeared that she had no choice in the matter. “I don’t really understand it. Flashes of people dying, synthetics, destruction. None of it really made sense. All I saw was a jumble of images,” Shepard explained with a sigh. Now she sounded like a nut. If anyone asked her to write a report about it, they would only receive a blank datapad. There was no way in hell she was putting her dream in any report. As far as she was concerned dreams or visions were immaterial. They weren’t substantial enough to warrant any attention.

“Good, the commander is awake. I need to speak with Shepard alone,” Captain Anderson stated pointedly as he entered the room. They watched as the Med Bay cleared out.

“How are you feeling, Shepard?” he asked with a concern look.

“Like I just drank a bottle of Jack Daniels on my own and forgot to share again,” Shepard answered with a smirk.

“I bet,” Anderson chuckled. “I’m going to be honest with you. This doesn’t look good. A Spectre is dead and the probe is destroyed,” he stated, watching her closely. He ignored her flinch when he mentioned Nihlus’ death. If not for that movement, you couldn’t tell that it was bothering her.

Shepard refrained from saying anything. Whatever she would have said at the moment wouldn’t be prudent. Telling her commanding officer ‘no shit’ didn’t seem wise. His mention of Nihlus irked her, but she knew it was necessary.

“Nothing to add?” Anderson asked.

“Nothing worth mentioning,” Shepard stated coolly.

“I heard the doctor mentioning a dream,” he commented, looking at her pointedly.

“That probe decided it wanted to show me some images. I don’t have a clue what they meant or who they were addressed to,” Shepard told him, shrugging off the question.

Anderson shook his head. He knew he wouldn’t get a solid answer from her. “You should know that Nihlus’ body is down in the cargo bay. I’ll make sure no one disturbs you if you wish to pay your respects. I’ve already removed his omnitool and will be handing it over to Udina so that the Council receives it,” Anderson told her.

“Can I have his omnitool?” she asked quietly. “There is no way I am letting Udina get his dingy hands on it. I’ll give it straight to Sparatus.”

Anderson nodded. He didn’t blame her. Without a second thought, he passed her the omnitool. “It’s pass-coded and encrypted,” Anderson warned. He watched as Shepard punched in a code and the equipment flared to life.

“How did you…?” he trailed off, not sure if he should ask.

“Anderson, I was with him for over a year,” she answered, meeting his gaze with clouded eyes. “We were a mated couple. That’s the same as being married for humans.”

Anderson nodded his head and left her there. He wasn’t sure what to say or how to console her. He heard the first sob as the door closed behind him. He never said a word as he passed Alenko and Williams. They didn’t need to know the commander was in the Medbay, silently mourning the death of her mate. He knew as soon as she exited, no one would be the wiser. He glanced at Chakwas, motioning for her to follow him.

“What is it, Captain?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

“Allow no one into the Medbay until Shepard leaves. She needs a few moments on her own,” Anderson answered. He wasn’t about to tell her that Shepard was mourning her turian lover. Most of the people onboard the ship wouldn’t approve of it. There were already rumors about Nihlus and Shepard’s relationship, but most were saying that Shepard was teaching a turian his place. He’d tried to quell the rumors before either Shepard or Nihlus heard them. God only knew what they would have done if they’d learned about it. At least those that had been spreading those vicious words were silent now. He just hoped it stayed that way. If Shepard heard them, she would be out for blood. He was positive of that.

“I’ll make sure that she is not disturbed, Captain,” Chakwas answered softly with compassionate look.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Shepard stood beside Nihlus’ coffin and said a silent goodbye. She glanced down at the omnitool in her hand and smirked. When it fired to life there had been a message waiting for her.

_Verena,_

_If you are seeing this, I am gone. I need you to look after my brother for me or he will lose himself in his work. Please know that I never regretted a moment of our time together. I just wish that I could have announced you as my mate. Since I couldn’t do it while I was alive, it will have to be done now that I am dead. I sent Sparatus documents stating that you are my mate and are to be respected as such. All of my possessions now belong to you and Sparatus. I have set aside certain things for you specifically._   
_As soon as you make it back to the Citadel, see my brother. I have already sent his personal link to your computer. Go to the bar and have a drink on me._

_I love you and I am sorry to leave you this way._

_Your mate,_

_Nihlus_

She stared at the note for the longest time. She wasn’t sure how long; but when she looked away, the tears were dry on her cheeks. She still had a hard time believing that he was gone. There would be no more seeing him at night. No more hearing his voice or joking with him. His scent wouldn’t fill her room anymore. She wouldn’t feel his arms surrounding her anymore, or have his comfort in her bed. She had lost a lot with his death and it hurt.

She knew Nihlus was worried about Sparatus. If she was being honest, she was equally concerned. With a final glance at his coffin, she left the cargo bay and headed to the conference room.

She brought up her list of contacts and found Sparatus’s name. She contacted him quickly, before she talked herself out of it. She thought that she would have to leave a message and he would return it later, so it shocked her when he answered right away.

Sparatus sat at his desk and his eyes widened in shock when he heard the call come through his omnitool. There was only one person that contacted him this way – Nihlus. He quickly answered, hoping that it was his brother. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be; though the news was just as good. Verena’s image appeared before him. She was alive. He hadn’t lost her.

“Verena,” he whispered. “I thought…” He cringed when he heard his voice. Talk about giving yourself away, he thought with annoyance. The last thing he needed was for Verena to know that he had feelings for her.

“No. I was just knocked unconscious,” she answered, surprised to see the relief on his face.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice turning hard and cold. This was the way she was used to seeing him, instead of the soft look she had received at first. That look had unnerved her and she didn’t need any more confusion at the moment.

“One of the crew members was checking out the probe. It caught him in some type of field. So I knocked him out of the way and got caught in it, myself,” she muttered.

“I saw that part. Why did it knock you out?” he snapped.

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask it,” she retorted, hiding her grin. It felt good to be sparring with him.

“Don’t play games with me,” Sparatus snarled, glaring at her.

“Well then don’t ask stupid questions. Just because you’re Nihlus’ brother doesn’t mean I’ll be treating you differently, Sparatus,” she spat heatedly.

“I am part of the Council,” he reminded her. “It would be in your interest to be nice.”

“Screw you,” she snorted with a short laugh. “You hate humans, so how is that in my best interest?” she asked mockingly. When she first started this conversation she had felt lost and unsure of herself. Now she felt invigorated, her confidence growing.

“Verena, be reasonable. I have every reason to hate your kind,” Sparatus reminded her.

“Sparatus, this conversation should be continued at another time. Not now,” she sighed. She’d heard this many times and it was annoying.

“You’re right. Nihlus was always telling me to give your kind a chance, but I can’t do that. Humans keep pushing for things that they aren’t ready for. When they don’t get it, they push more and don’t care who is in their way,” Sparatus told her. He wondered what she would say in response.

“I know, Sparatus. Trust me, I know. Are you forgetting what happened to me not long ago at the hands of my own people?” she asked softly, her anger evaporating.

“No, I haven’t. You are the first human I have met that I have any amount of respect for,” Sparatus told her, cutting communication. Verena stood there, staring at the screen; unsure what to make of his parting remark. It wasn’t what she had expected, but it was a hell of a lot better than their usual arguments.

“Commander, the captain wishes to see you on the bridge. We are docking at the Citadel,” Joker announced.

“Tell him that I’ll be there in a moment,” she answered. With a sigh, she squared her shoulders and went in search of her captain.  
Anderson waited for her on the bridge. He smirked when he saw her. You would never know that she had just lost someone very close to her. She held herself with a confidence and certainty that he didn’t see often.

“You wished to see me, Captain?” she asked.

“We are about to dock. Once we do, you and your ground crew need to come with me to the Embassy. Udina will be talking with the Council very shortly so we can get Saren’s Spectre status revoked,” he answered.

“Hold on! You expect me to go to Udina’s office after everything that he has done to me?” she sneered. She didn’t care that she was speaking this way to her commanding officer or that they were on the CIC deck with people surrounding them.

“Shepard, we need him. He is the only one that can get us a meeting with the Council,” Anderson stated, his eyes narrowing at her for her slur.

“If you would have told me five minutes ago that this is what you wanted, I would have been able to set up a meeting. I was just talking with Sparatus,” she spat, very annoyed with him.

Anderson stared at her in shock. He had thought her previous communication with the Turian Councilor was because she was with Nihlus, training as a Spectre. Now Nihlus was dead, so he didn’t understand why she would still be in contact with him. It made no sense and brought many questions.

“We’ll go through the proper channels and see what happens. If Udina can’t get us a meeting, then you can contact the Turian Councilor and see if you can get a meeting,” Anderson reasoned.

“Fine. I am supposed to see Sparatus after this meeting with Udina, anyway,” she muttered, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe that she had to talk with that fucking ass at the embassy. Just saying his name made her see red. Also, she hadn’t decided if she really wanted to see the Turian Councilor, as she’d led Anderson to believe. However, if it meant that she could avoid the asshole, she would rush to see Sparatus. She preferred his insults over Udina’s any day of the week.

“Well, let’s go see the ambassador,” she muttered, barely able to keep the sneer out of her voice.

Anderson looked at her and worried. He wasn’t sure what to expect with this meeting. If he went by Shepard’s reaction, he’d just signed Udina’s death certificate. His first inclination was to change the meeting and leave Shepard out of it. His second thought was to have her skip Udina and go straight to the Council, if she is able to do that.

~oooooooooooooo~

Shepard stood in front of Udina. Her anger was past the boiling point. How she wanted this fucker dead. She would just love to wrap her hand around his neck and squeeze. She glowered at him as he talked with the Council. She wasn’t surprised when they appeared irritated with him . Of course they didn’t have enough information. She already knew that. What pissed her off most was the disrespectful way he addressed them.

“You’ve made a mess of things, Shepard. A Spectre died under your watch. The beacon was destroyed. What do you have to say for yourself?” Udina spat belligerently.

Anderson closed his eyes and sighed. He shook his head, realizing that Udina had just left himself open to her anger. He could just imagine what she would say. He knew he would have to step in and he didn’t look forward to it.

Verena closed her eyes and counted to ten. Didn’t work. Images of her gun shoved down his throat littered her mind. She couldn’t believe the fucking ass just blamed her for everything. She tried once more to calm herself, this time not closing her eyes. There was no way in hell she could calm herself; not with the piece of shit standing right there. Her rage was boiling. She would love to kill him right now, but she knew that wasn’t an option. Instead she settled on speaking her mind.

“Listen, you piece of shit. I did what I could. Regarding Nihlus’ death - there was not a fucking thing I could have done to save him. As for that fucking beacon, it knocked me out. So don’t you dare blame me for that mess, you ignorant fuck. After everything you did to smear my good name, you decide to place all this on my shoulders? You can fuck yourself!” Shepard growled. Her anger was at an all-time high. With each word, she stalked toward the sniveling man. She wanted to hit him so badly, even kill him, but she knew she couldn’t.

She stepped closer to him, lowering her voice so no one else would hear. “Be careful of shadows. All kinds of nasty things happen there,” she whispered and was happy to see the fear in his eyes.

With a disgusted look she headed for the door. “Shepard, make sure you are at the Council’s chambers tomorrow,” Anderson called out to her.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there,” she spat, not bothering to look at either male. She smirked when Kaidan and Ashley followed her out of the office.

“Do you think that was wise, Commander?” Ashley asked cautiously.

“There is a lot of bad blood between me and Udina. He tried framing me not long ago and I was almost sent to prison for the murder of two of my crew mates. It was proven that he and my captain at the time set it up so they could have better relations with the Council. So if I give Udina a hard time, trust me when I say that it’s warranted,” she explained tiredly.

“What happens now, Commander?” Kaidan asked as they stopped in front of an upper class apartment. Ashley looked at Shepard curiously as she punched in a code and entered.

“Tomorrow we meet with the Council. They will tell us that we don’t have enough information. So we need more,” she answered, shrugging.

“Whose place is this, Commander?” Ashley asked, her eyes widening as she took in the spacious apartment. She knew this place would cost a fortune. She was surprised that the Commander could afford such a place.

“Mine. My parents bought it for me after I was promoted to commander,” she explained, shrugging. “Do you guys want anything?” she asked, filling a few cups with alcohol. They needed a solid plan to gain more information and that wasn’t going to be easy. She wasn’t even sure where to look first.

She passed out the cups, taking a seat. She stared into her glass thoughtfully as she tried to come up with an idea. “What’s the plan, Shepard?” Alenko asked, taking a sip of the rye Shepard had given them. It had been while since he had been in this apartment.

“Good question. I’m still trying to figure that out. Anderson thinks this is done and Saren will lose his Spectre’s status, but he won’t. There isn’t enough proof yet. We need solid, irrefutable proof that ties him to the attack on Eden Prime,” she explained.

“How would we find that? Saren is a Spectre, and that makes him untouchable,” Ashley stated.

“Well, I plan on talking with Sparatus in a few hours and Pallin tomorrow to see if they know anything,” she murmured thoughtfully as she slowly worked out a plan. She had a lot of people she could talk to, but she didn’t know if they had any ideas or information.

Shepard was about to ask them to leave, as they all needed rest, when she was interrupted by a request for entrance at her door. She wasn’t sure who it could be. Anyone who knew where she lived was at work. She glanced at the two sitting at her table before turning back to the door.

Sparatus stood at Shepard’s door, pacing impatiently. He had expected her at his office as soon as she docked, but she hadn’t shown. Instead of waiting for her, he decided to search for her. He was surprised to find two people sitting at her table. Both wore Alliance uniforms. He recognized one from her trial, but the other was unfamiliar to him.

“Shepard, we need to talk,” he told her with a pointed look at her companions. He expected her to tell them to leave, and wasn’t impressed when she didn’t.

“These are my crew members. We are trying to find a way to get solid evidence against Saren, since that Turian Councilor asshole demanded it,” she told him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. He wasn’t sure why she was keeping his station a secret.

“And that is why I am here,” Sparatus grinned, not bothering to play her game. His hid his smile at the two humans’ shocked expressions when they figured out that he was a Councilor.

“You have an idea?” she asked with a grin. She had to laugh. This was the first time since they’d met that she was actually looking forward to what he had to say.

“We have a C-Sec agent by the name of Garrus Vakarian looking into it. You’ll find him with Executor Pallin. Talk with him and see what you can come up with,” Sparatus ordered.

“I’ll do that in a few minutes. First I want to know the details of Nihlus’ funeral,” she informed him and waited for the information with a hopeful look.

“There won’t be one. Report to my office tomorrow morning after the trial. There is much to discuss,” Sparatus stated. He wanted to reach out and take the sorrowful look from her eyes, but he knew he couldn’t do that. She was Nihlus’ mate, even though Nihlus was dead.

“Hold on. I have something of Nihlus’ that you’ll want – his omnitool,” she told him. She didn’t say a word as he followed her to her bedroom. Nor did she say a word when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked back at Sparatus and could see the grief that he was holding in check. “I want Saren, and I will do whatever it takes to get him,” she stated coldly.

“You know that I may not always be able to support you in this endeavor publically; but do what is necessary,” Sparatus grinned, baring his teeth. “I’ll try and help you as much as I can.” She knew what a menacingly smile looked like. If Sparatus had his way, he would be the one hunting Saren.

Sparatus watched her for a moment and noticed the malicious light that came into her eyes. “Revoke his Spectre status,” she whispered.

“I can’t. You know that,” he hissed. He hated letting her down, but he had no choice. Saren was too respected as a Spectre. They would need solid proof and what he’d heard so far wasn’t enough. His side of the video showed nothing beyond Nihlus falling to the ground. It angered him that Saren’s face didn’t show.

“You were watching. Isn’t that good enough?” Shepard asked, trying her best to keep calm. She wasn’t succeeding. It was beginning to seem like Saren would get away.

“Verena, my video shows nothing and the audio was too distorted to make a positive ID for a trial. Those that know Saren will recognize his voice, but it’s not enough,” he murmured, taking a chance and reaching out to lightly brush a stray hair from her face.  
Verena narrowed her eyes when he touched her. Sparatus never touched her, so now she wondered what the hell he was up to. She would bet that physical contact wasn’t one of his priorities, so it made no sense.

“Shit. I’ll go talk with Vakarian and see what he knows. Though it’s doubtful he knows shit,” she spat, her frustration showing.

“I wouldn’t say that. He’s very persistent in his investigations. He’s been reprimanded a few times for taking things into his own hands and forgetting protocol. Something you can relate to, I’m sure,” Sparatus smirked.

“I’ll go to Pallin’s office as soon as I leave here. Anything else I should know?” she asked carefully. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to ask this turian that question.

“No. I’ll see you at the hearing tomorrow,” Sparatus said before leaving her. He didn’t glance back like he wanted to. Instead he amused himself by scowling at the two humans seated at her table. He grinned when he saw them flinch.

~oooooooooooo~

Ashley and Kaidan followed her as she made her way to Pallin’s office. The doors opened to show two turians arguing. She stood there listening, a smirk on her face.

“Verena, this isn’t the time,” Pallin snapped. He was shocked that she would interrupt him. It wasn’t her way to be disrespectful.

“Sorry, Venari, but if this is Vakarian you are arguing with, then he is the one that I am searching for. Sparatus’s orders,” Shepard told him.

Pallin’s eyes widened at the use of his first name, but he understood what she was saying. She wasn’t trying to insult him personally. He had read the message clearly. She wanted this to be friendly. “Then come in and take a seat. Your two companions can wait by the door,” he stated, glaring at the two other humans. He turned his attention back to her and motioned her toward one of the chairs.  
He watched her for a moment before taking his own seat. “Garrus Vakarian, this is Commander Verena Shepard. She is the one who brought the accusations against Saren. And she isn’t one to accuse falsely,” Pallin stated, watching Garrus for a reaction. He knew Garrus tolerated humans better than he did, but he wondered if the young turian would follow Shepard’s orders. Given their personalities, it was quite possible that they might butt heads constantly.

“Understood, sir,” Garrus murmured thoughtfully as he met Shepard’s gaze. He was surprised to see Pallin treat a human so respectfully. What shocked him even more was that this same human had used Pallin’s first name without a reprimand.

“What does Sparatus wish?” Pallin asked.

“He wants me to work with Garrus to find evidence against Saren,” Shepard answered. She glanced over her shoulder at Ashley when she heard a gasp.

“You do realize that Sparatus is breaking quite a few rules with this request,” Pallin told her softly.

“I know. Nihlus was his brother and you know the rest,” she said pointedly. “Sparatus was listening in during the battle on Eden Prime. He heard Saren, but the voice was distorted and the video never captured him. So we have no solid proof.”

Pallin glanced at the two humans and Garrus. “Leave,” he ordered them coldly.

Garrus was shocked that he was being kicked out when there was information about Saren that he needed. With a scowl he left the office, followed closely by the two humans. “Do you know what is going on?” he asked them.

“No. The Turian Councilor visited Shepard’s apartment not long ago,” Kaidan answered with a shrug. He was still amazed that the Councilor would go to her house.

Garrus’ brow ridge lowered thoughtfully. He had heard them talking about Sparatus, but he wasn’t sure who that was. It wasn’t his place to ask, but now he was curious.

~oooooooooo~

Verena sat in front of Pallin’s desk, waiting for the reprimand. “Verena, I’ve known you for years now. You are one of the most level headed humans that I’ve ever met. You can’t make your pursuit of Saren a vendetta. If you do, then you are no better than he is. I know Sparatus wants him dead, but you can’t go down that road,” Pallin entreated.

She stared at the turian that she’d known for years. She wasn’t sure if he knew of her secret. She had worked hard to keep her relationship with Nihlus a secret; but now it didn’t matter and she trusted this turian with her life. She knew he would understand - at least she hoped he would. “Venari, Nihlus was my mate. I will not allow his murderer to get away unscathed,” she stated coldly.

Pallin bowed his head. Damn, I should have guessed. This put a new bend on things, he thought. “I won’t say that you shouldn’t allow this to eat at you. If you were a female turian, you would be out for blood. But I will say be careful. Saren is a Spectre,” he murmured.

“I know, but I am going to take him down,” Verena swore.

“I know. Work with Garrus and hopefully the two of you will find something. He hasn’t found anything yet and the trial is tomorrow,” Pallin told her.

“I know,” she sighed and nodded. She made her way to the door. “And, Venari, thank you.”

Pallin nodded and watched her walk away. He grinned as the door closed. He knew it wouldn’t matter if Shepard had evidence or not. She was going to find and kill Saren. The turian didn’t stand a chance. He was already a dead man. He just hoped that Shepard made it a quick kill, instead of torturing him.

His thoughts turned to Garrus and he shook his head. He wasn’t sure what to do with that turian. He was very good at what he did, but he had a problem following orders and procedure. He hoped that working with Verena would straighten the turian out, but he wasn’t betting on it. Garrus was stubborn, but he also knew how the turian felt.

He would have to wait and see what happened. Maybe when all this was done, he would ask Verena to speak with Garrus or take him under her wing. When he actually thought of that idea, he knew it would be a mistake. Putting them together was trouble waiting to happen. Verena was as impatient as Garrus. He could just imagine the situations those two could get into.

He groaned and palmed his face. He’d just sent them off together to find evidence. Now all he could do was wait for the complaints and accusations that would come from the people they questioned.

~oooooooooo~

They questioned people for the remainder of the day and still learned nothing. Shepard hated the fact that Saren was going to walk away free.

“What do you mean ‘you have no more leads’?” Verena hissed, scowling at Garrus.

“We just questioned the last person on my list. I know Saren is guilty, but we can’t find anything. He’s a Spectre and that messes things up,” Garrus muttered.

“Shit! Sparatus isn’t going to like this,” she muttered.

“I’ve heard you mention that name a few times. Who is Sparatus?” Garrus asked curiously.

“Sparatus is the Turian Councilor,” she answered. Garrus’ eyes widened as he stared at her in shock.

“Well, we can continue this in the morning,” he murmured, still shocked to hear that she’d received her orders directly from the Turian Councilor. He didn’t know what to make of it.

“We can’t. The trial is tomorrow morning. It’s now or never,” she muttered, her stomach twisting. She was sickened that she couldn’t avenge Nihlus’ murderer.

~ooooooooo~

Verena walked back to her apartment, not surprised to find Sparatus waiting for her. “To what do I owe this honor?” she asked sarcastically.

Sparatus shook his head. He didn’t know why he was here. He should be leaving her alone, staying the hell away from her. She was a mate in mourning - his brother’s mate. “Still haven’t changed, even with your mate dead,” Sparatus smirked.

“You expected less? What do you want, Sparatus?” she asked tiredly.

Sparatus clamped his mandibles close to his face. That was a loaded question. One that he didn’t want to answer. “I came for your report,” he bit out, hoping that his face didn’t give anything away.

“There is nothing to report. We didn’t find anything. So tomorrow at the trial Saren will get away free,” she replied angrily.

Sparatus bowed his head. It wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Their chance to stop Saren was gone and Nihlus wouldn’t be avenged. Sparatus hated it, but there was nothing he could do about it.

“Is there anything else?” Verena asked. She really wanted to be alone. She knew that she’d promised Nihlus that she would watch over his brother, but for now she needed time to herself.

Sparatus slowly shook his head. “No, no. There is nothing else,” he murmured quietly before stalking away.

Verena watched him walk away and stop a couple of doors from her apartment. She hissed when she noticed this. She had to shake her head in amusement. Nihlus had known, but never said a thing. For some odd reason she found that amusing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Verena stood in front of the council. Ashley and Kaidan were with her both scowling as they heard the verdict. She could see Sparatus’s anger as he glared at Saren. She was really starting to hate that turian as he stood there looking smugly.

She glanced at Udina when he made his outburst. At least he was good for something. Her eyes met and locked with Sparatus’s for the remainder of the trial which wasn’t long. Her eyes widened as Sparatus spoke, “If, Shepard finds something in the mean time she is welcome to bring it before the council,” he sneered. His eyes were saying one thing while his voice was sneering at her. He didn’t have to tell her, his eyes were telling to find evidence. She gave an imperceptible nod before turning away.

She glanced at her crew, “And that is why I hate politics,” Ashley muttered, scowling where the council had been.

“You and me both,” Shepard grumbled. 

“I thought the turian councilor was on your side,” Kaidan commented.

“He is, but he can’t admit to that in public. IF he did, his word from then on wouldn’t mean much. The council knows Sparatus talks with me, if he allowed his personal feelings get in the way it could reflect very badly and he could be replaced. If that happens, he’ll be disgraced by his own people,” she explained tiredly.

“For someone who doesn’t like politics you seen to know a lot about it,” Kaidan murmured smirking at her.

“You know damn well why that is,” Verena grimaced, with smiling eyes.

“Yeah, I know. You’re friends with a lot of high officials, though most of them being turian and one human,” Kaidan chuckled shaking his head. “I still don’t know how you did it.”

“Well Pallin is my neighbor since I moved into that apartment. Sparatus, I met through Nihlus. Nihlus, I met during a mission. Hackett, I did a lot of mission for and he was one of my trainers for N7 and also Special Ops,” she answered.

“Still don’t get how you do it, especially with the aliens,” Kaidan muttered.

Shepard stared at him and rolled her eyes. She didn’t bother explaining more, there was no point. “Well let’s go meet Captain Anderson as he requested,” She muttered.

                                                                                ~oooooooooo~

She glared at the door to Udina’s office. She really didn’t want to enter. With a curse muttered under breath she opened the door to find Udina and Anderson arguing. She thought about walking right back out but decided not to.

“Ah Shepard, good you’re here,” Anderson murmured ignoring Udina’s triad.

“Unfortunately, you couldn’t have locked him in a closet somewhere until I left,” She muttered scowling at her nemesis.

“Shepard!” Anderson’s voice whipped out in warning. She glanced at him for a moment and held her peace.

“How dare you speak to me that way,” Udina hissed.

“How dare I? I dare very easily actually,” she stated sweetly. “What Udina? Hate someone standing up to you and tell you what an ass you are?” She took great pleasure in watching his face turn red. She wondered absently if he was about to explode or have a meltdown.

“You….you…” He sputtered heatedly and stormed out of the room.

“Well what do you know it smells a lot better in here and not like shit,” Shepard murmured as she watched his back disappear through the door. She saw him stiffen and laughed.

“Shepard, he’s your ambassador. You can’t treat him like that,” Anderson muttered, shaking his head. He knew it was a bad idea having the meeting here. He should have thought it through better. Next time there was no way in hell he was having Shepard and Udina in the same room.

“Captain, there is no way I will acknowledge that he’s my Ambassador,” Shepard spat heatedly.

Anderson flinched when she used his rank instead of his last name. He knew then that she was pissed at him too. One thing he noticed about Shepard, people she liked she treated like gold. People she didn’t like got her disdain, and then there were the people that piss her off. They got the cold shoulder. Now he was on that list and didn’t like it.

He shook his head, not bothering to talk her down. It would have been easier to talk a wall into moving for him. “As the turian councilor said, we need proof. There is a guy you could ask, his name is Harken. You’ll find him lounging in Chora’s Den. He got kicked out of C-Sec for drinking and a few other things. If there are shady dealings around, he would know. Also there is the Shadow Broker Barla’van. He might have some information,” Anderson told her.

“Well I’ll check those leads out once I’ve located Garrus,” she answered. She glanced over Anderson’s shoulder and noticed Alenko and Williams standing there. She could see amusement in William’s face but Alenko watched her worriedly. She knew he was worried what reprocusions would come of her talking to Jack Ass like that.

                                                                                ~ooooooooooo~

She glanced at the turian walking beside her. He was young and naïve in his way of thinking. She could see that he had a problem with waiting for things and that was something he would need to work on. Though she wasn’t one to talk, she was just as bad as he was.

“So we are going to talk to Harkin?” Garrus asked, shocked that she would even suggest it. He knew what Harkin was like and wonder what would happen. He would stay near and watched and protect her as much as possible. Pallin has ordered him to watch over her and make sure no harm comes to her. He would do as he was ordered though she wasn’t making it easy.

Garrus pointed out Harkin and did something he saw humans do numerous times. He rolled his eyes as he watched Harkin’s eyes rove over Shepard’s body. He would step in but he wasn’t sure how without making it seem that they were together and he knew the human would hate that.

Shepard walked up to Harkin, her eyes narrowing as he leered at her. “Well why don’t you come sit here so we can know each other better?” he slurred but she was betting he thought it was seductive.

“Grow some claws and sharp teeth, oh and sober up so you can actually get it up then hit on a woman,” she laughed at him.

“Claws and teeth, sounds like you want a turian,” Harkin hissed disgustedly.

“What I want is not your concern, but who I want is,” she answered coldly. “I want Saren and I think you might have information on him.”

“I don’t know shit…” he trailed off as they were interrupted by arguing.

Shepard’s attention turned to the doors of the back room and watched as two krogans argued. She watched the larger one storm away. She didn’t bother moving out of its way. “Watch it human,” it growled as he shoved his way past her.

“Actually Harkin you don’t have what I am looking for,” she murmured watching the krogan. “Garrus do you know him?”

“Yeah, that’s Wrex a bounty hunter. Not sure who he’s after this time but C-Sec has arrested him a few times or attempted to,” he answered, watching Shepard closely.

“Have C-Sec notify us if he’s arrested again,” she ordered as she headed for the exit. She was almost positive that krogan had information she would want or knew a way to get to Fist. He was another that she wanted to talk to, but with everyone in the bar it wasn’t a good idea right now.

                                                                                ~oooooooooooooooo~

Kaidan leaned back against the wall watching as Shepard went to talk with the Krogan. He smirked as the large krogan moved towards them. Kaidan kept his eyes on Shepard as she watched the krogan with a grin that gave him a shiver down his spine.

He chuckled as the krogan towered over Shepard trying to intimidate her. He wondered how much damage there was going to be if those two got into a fight. He also wondered if he would have to step in.

Shepard glared up at the krogan, “Back off,” she growled as he towered over her. She noticed the menacing smile and she knew he was trying to intimidate her.

“Or what?” he asked chuckling, not in the least worried. She could see this and a part of her was amused another worried. Someone who didn’t respect you or fear you usually ended up stabbing you in the back. She had learnt this the hard way and it was a mistake she was going to have repeated.

She pulled out her gun slowly so he didn’t notice. Moving carefully she moved the gun to his most sensitive spot. He wore armor but it didn’t matter, the bullets would make it through the armor easily.  
“Answer me this, has the genophage affected you?” she asked sweetly.

Wrex’s eyes narrowed at the question. He thought about ending this human’s life. She was asking a question that hit too many nerves but he didn’t see this human as stupid so he knew she was asking for a reason. “Why?”

“Just wondering if you actually have any use of these before I pull the trigger,” she commented mildly as she tapped the hard cod piece of his armor. She smirked as his eyes widened and he stepped back a pace giving a booming laugh. “I like you Shepard,” he murmured.

“Rule one, don’t intimidate me. Rule two, what I say goes. And I say you don’t get to shoot Fist until I am done questioning him,” She stated.

Wrex watched her for a moment before nodding. He heard the threat and warning and knew she wasn’t like other humans. He wondered what she would do, but when her eyes turned into hard green chips he decided that he didn’t want to know yet. Especially not with the reminder that she was more than willing to take out his quads.

He rolled his eyes as she turned her back on him and started walking away. He watched as a turian moved up beside her followed closely by two humans. But what amused him the most was many of the workers here moved out of the way for her or greeted her with respect. What caught his attention was some of them were turian or salarian not just human who treated with her respect as she passed by them. It made him think more of her that this many aliens noticed her.

                                                                                ~ooooooooooooo~

Wrex grinned at the body on the ground. He picked up a data pad and passed it over to Shepard. He couldn’t wipe off the smile if he wanted to. He had enjoyed fighting with her, she was a fierce warrior. “We need to get that quarian,” Shepard ordered. He agreed, Saren needed to be taken out. He could see there was more going on than Shepard was saying but didn’t bother asking about it.

He watched her hesitate and curse as she moved to the bar area. Fist backup had arrived and they needed out of fast. He watched as Shepard made a trail to the door as they covered her back taking out what they could. Wrex thought there was too many to leave behind. It wasn’t safe, anyone one of these idiots could come hunting for them.

“Shepard you get the quarian, I’ll clean up here,” he told her and wondered if he just pissed her off more.

“Fine, meet us at the human embassy when you are through here. Collect as much intel as you can before you leave,” she ordered. He nodded and turned to the enemy unloading his gun into them.

Without Shepard and the other’s here it wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be, but it wasn’t that challenging either. He watched the last one drop and searched through the bodies finding credits but no information. Though the amount of credits told him someone with money was paying these guys good.

With a grin he went to search Shepard out. Seeing what she made of this.

                                                                ~oooooooooooooooo~

Shepard’s eyes narrowed when she saw Udina once more. She was about to say something but Anderson stepped in the way so her focus turned to him. “Good news, we have evidence against Saren. Bad news Chora’s needs an overhaul,” she told him with a smirk.

“What evidence did you find?” Udina asked, leering on her reaction. He tried to keep his voice civil and hoped he pulled it off.

“Tali,” Shepard nodded to the quarian who started playing the recording. Shepard’s hands tightened into fists as she heard his voice. She tried to hide her rage but it was impossible, her body was shaking with the pent up rage.

Slowly she counted to ten and calmed marginally. She glanced sharply at the quarian when she replayed the message and a woman’s voice was heard.

“We have him,” Anderson stated with glee in his eyes.

“Yes we do. Sparatus needs to hear this,” Shepard murmured softly. “Nihlus was his brother.”  

“Can we have a moment,” Anderson asked the other’s. He waited until they left before moving over to Shepard. “You okay?” he asked his voice gruffer than usual. He hated seeing her like this. Actually for as long as he knew her he never thought he would see her emotional.

“Yeah I will be. It hurts losing someone close to you. I never realized how much before,” Shepard murmured quietly.

“You can’t let this eat you. Nihlus wouldn’t want that for you,” Anderson told her.

“I know. But I still need to talk with Sparatus. He needs to know about this. Nihlus’ death has been eating at him too,” she explained.

“Get a copy off the quarian and bring it to him. And Shepard I’m here if you need someone to talk with,” Anderson offered.

“Have you ever lost someone you loved?” she asked softly.

“Once, a long time ago. It takes time but eventually it’s easier. They may be gone but they will always be with you,” Anderson answered placing a understanding hand on her shoulder. It was the best he could do.

Shepard glanced up at him and tried to smile but she knew she failed miserably. The both of them glanced over her shoulder when they heard the door close. She watched as Wrex walked over to them, and she wondered how much he heard. At the moment she didn’t really care, but it was a thought.

“Didn’t get anything off of the dead guys, but someone is paying them good,” Wrex told her. He had heard some of the conversation and wondered who Shepard had lost that she loved. When he first met her he wouldn’t have believe this woman was in mourning but seeing her now he knew it was true. It showed how strong a leader she was, that she was able to show her emotions at the appropriate times and not allow them to interfere with her thoughts. He tapped a few bottons on his omni tool transferring half the money he found to her. He knew he didn’t have to but as far as he was concerned she earned all of it.

“Weren’t you stopped from entering?” Anderson asked wondering where the security went.

“You mean by those puny humans?” Wrex scoffed shaking his head.

Anderson was about to say more but Shepard stopped him with a hand on his arm and a warning look. “I’m heading to Sparatus’. Have anyone that doesn’t have a place to sleep sent to my suit. There is enough room for them there,” she told him before leaving.

                                                                                                ~oooooooooooo~

Shepard glanced at the two guards on Sparatus’ door. She smirked when they didn’t stop her from entering though that did raise a few questions. She stopped at the door way and watched him for a few moments. He was focused on data pads in front of him as Nihlus had worried. She could tell he hadn’t slept much over the past few days. Nor had he been eating much either. She shook her head, it seemed that Nihlus was right and she would need to keep an eye on Sparatus.

That thought irked her. The one who had been her worst enemy and annoyance now she had to watch over. The irony wasn’t lost on her. She moved slowly towards him and waited for him to look up but he didn’t. She raised a brow at this, “You know I could have shot your umpteen dozen times and you wouldn’t have noticed,” she commented smirking now that she had the upper hand.

“You wish. I smelt you when you walked in. If you had been someone I didn’t know you’d be dead,” Sparatus answered without glancing up.

“Oh please. You kill someone? That I highly doubt,” she mocked.

“What do you want Shepard? I’m not in the mood for our usual banter,” Sparatus snapped. He flinched at the coldness in his voice but he couldn’t get the image of his brother’s dead body out of his mind.

“Well I know something that will put you in the mood,” Shepard purred, grinning widely as Sparatus' head snapped up. She watched as his eyes narrowed and his face took on a stern look.

“Shepard…” Sparatus growled. He didn’t know what came over her, but with the suggestive words he couldn’t go down that road yet.

“Relax and listen,” Shepard chuckled an evil glint entering her eyes as she played the recording of Saren.

Sparatus rose to his feet quickly and went over to her. He grasped her by the shoulder. He wanted to hug her, crush her to him but he couldn’t do that. Instead he gripped her firmly, meeting her eyes squarely. “Where did you get this?” he asked urgently.

“From a quarian. Long story short Saren was hunting for her because he knows she has this information. We have him Sparatus.” Shepard said grinning ear to ear.

“Yes we do. We won’t be able to begin the trial until the day after tomorrow,” Sparatus grumbled, he hated it but the council was already overbooked.

“Shit,” she spat with feeling. “Damn, not quite what I wanted to hear.”

“Be that as it may, it’s the best I can do,” Sparatus rumbled his annoyance.

Shepard decided to leave it be and change the subject. It was the best he could and she would have to accept that. She knew he wanted Saren as much as she did, so he wouldn’t be making excuses.

“You know Sparatus, there is a promise I have to keep to Nihlus,” she murmured as she moved over beside him. She couldn’t believe she was about to do this but a promise was a promise.

“What’s that?” Sparatus asked absently.

Shepard rolled her eyes and reached out and grabbed the hand that held the data pad. She tossed the pad onto the desk. “You’re coming with me. I’ll even let you pick the bar,” she muttered.

“Shepard, I have work to do,” Sparatus warned.

“Don’t care. I promised Nihlus I wouldn’t let you get caught up in work and I am keeping that promise. So you can either walk your scrawny ass out of here on your own. Or I knock you out and carry you to your place. Choice is yours,” Shepard smirked as she watched his eyes widen.

“I’m only going because it’s my brother’s last request,” Sparatus grumbled, hiding his smile as he led her out of his office. For the first time since he watched Nihlus’ death a heavy burden felt like it had been lifted.

                                                                                                ~oooooooooooo~

They ended up at the Dark Star. The unfortunate part she had to tell him what happened at Chora’s. So now she had a laughing turian on her hands. One that was making jibes at her left, right and center. He thought it was very amusing that she stormed a bar. His last jibe had her rolling her eyes. This was the last time she was taking him drinking. A drinking Sparatus made him relax and he was more sociable. Thankfully he wasn’t drunk yet.

Though she couldn’t say the same about herself. Never again was she going to try and keep up with this turian when it came to drinking. She didn’t know how the hell he was still walking straight but he was. She was having a hard time sitting straight or stopping herself from swaying to the music.

She listened to the music and watched Sparatus. Her eyes widened as her stomach fluttered and her underwear became damp from watching him. She was utterly horrified with herself. The sad part was it wasn’t Sparatus per say, but he was turian and reminded her so much of Nihlus.

She shook her head trying to dislodge that thought but her wandering mind decided to take to help her out. Not in a good way. Only the drunken can come up with nursery rhymes and contort them to their needs. She listened to the beat of the music and giggled as the words came to her.

One, two what the hell is this turian doing to you?

Three, four, there is no way you are going to get laid on the floor.

Five, six, you really need a fix.

Seven, eight, you are not going to mate.

Nine, ten, let’s not count again.

She moaned burrowing her face in her hands. She had to leave. If she was coming up with these corny nursery rhymes she really needed to leave. The other rhymes running through her head weren’t helping and were getting dirtier and dirtier

Sparatus glanced at Shepard when he finally made his way back. She looked like hell. He could see that she was drunk and it was amusing. Her stoic expression was gone, instead there was a glassy eyes, dopy grin on her face. He also knew she was probably thinking about Nihlus and since he was a turian that was why he was getting that look. There was desire in her eyes, but not for him he didn’t think.

“Come on Shepard let’s get you home,” he told her. She didn’t protest as he lifted her to her feet. He bit off a groan as she leaned against him. Her one hand on his waist and the other on his shoulder. He led her to the door slowly and had to fight with himself not to take her to a dark corner and sate the lust he had for her.

It was awkward walking with her. Her balance was nonexistent, she was always leaning against him. He sighed in relief when they finally made it to her apartment. Quickly he punched in the code that Nihlus had told him not long ago.

He was surprised to find two humans sitting on the couch along with a quarian on one chair and a krogan sitting on one of the sturdier chairs. He didn’t bother saying a word neither did anyone else say a word as he walked an inebriated Shepard to her room.

Sparatus sat her gently on the bed, taking off her boots. Slowly he stripped her down. She wasn’t helping, her one hand had wandered to the sensitive skin beneath his fringe. He knew she didn’t want him, but was thinking of Nihlus but temptation was almost too great. He tried to ignore the building wanting of her.

He was glad he had something to focus on. Human clothing wasn’t the easiest to remove. He lay her down on the bed when she was down to her undergarments. He was about to leave and let her be but her hand in his stopped him. “Please stay for a bit. Don’t want to be alone,” she whispered.

He could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes and knew she was talking to him and not his brother’s ghost. He was finally seeing Shepard without walls and could see that she hadn’t been sleeping well either. Slowly he nodded and stripped out of his shirt and pants, leaving him in his underclothing.

He lay on his back and she curled up to him. For a few moments he thought this might be a dream and he was going to wake at any moment. He stared up at the ceiling and waited for this dream to end but it was taking forever. His body was reacting to having Shepard so close, her scent surrounding him. He purred his pleasure as she breathed evenly beside him.

Slowly he drifted off and soon sleep claimed him.

Hands travelled along her body. Sharp talons scraped along her skin. Heated breath panted feathered against her and a dry tongue rasped against her skin. She was soaked, she was past being partially aroused. She wanted him now, not later. She wanted to feel him inside her, feel him thrusting into her. She wanted to hear his growls of pleasure and the continuous purring as he made love to her. She wanted Nihlus.

Her body stiffened as an orgasm hit her, but her mind told her the truth. Nihlus was gone this was someone else. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Sparatus above her giving her pleasure. Would she be able to lose herself? Be able to forget for a while? Should she even accept him? Yes, she should. They were both mourning and needed this, a way to forget for a short time.

She sighed her body relaxing as she gave herself over to the pleasure he was giving her. She had to smile softly, she couldn’t see his uncertainty of her body. He didn’t know what he was doing but he was learning.

She took his hand, placing it lightly on her breast. She used on of his talon and flicked it across her nipple. All the while holding his eyes as she showed him what she liked. She reached up, lightly tracing his tattoos, until she came to his mandibles and licked them. She smiled when he flared them out so she could get to them easier. She sucked on one and was rewarded with a purring growl. His hands moved to her most intimate places. He was careful and she held very still.

She stopped his hand, there was no need for him to ready her. She met his eyes, “Sparatus, mate with me,” she whispered and moaned as he felt him at the edge of her opening. With one smooth motion he united them.

Shepard could stop the sob of pleasure. It felt perfect, maybe too perfect. A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye and trailed down her cheek. They may have been brother’s but they were nothing alike. Sparatus filled her, it was like she fitted him perfected, just like a glove.

She arched her back when she felt him slam back in side of her. Pleasure shot through her, he hit everywhere, his outer flaps brushed against her clit as the rest of him moved inside of her.

Sparatus stopped moving thinking he might have harmed her. He had thought Shepard would be able to take everything he could dish out within limits, but now he thought he might have been wrong. “Oh god, please don’t stop,” she cried out, her body flexing around him.

He searched her face, met her smoky green eyes. There was certainty in them, he began moving once more, this time measuring his strokes so he didn’t harm her. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he caused her pain of any type.

“Shit Sparatus. Don’t hold back on my account,” she muttered.

There was no way he was going to be rougher. The chance of harming her was too great. He may never feel fully satisfied with her, but that didn’t matter, he had her in his arms right now that was all that matter.

His breath caught as she flipped them. Now he was on his back at a great disadvantage. His hood kept him from rolling properly. He stilled when he met her eyes, there was a challenge in them. He waited to see what she was about to do and planned on meeting that challenge.

He groaned as he felt her lift herself up until he was just brushing against her and then she drover herself down onto him. He growled his pleasure, she did it again, this time his hips snapping upward meeting her. She wasn’t being gentle and he could see the pleasure she was receiving.

He wasn’t sure where he found the strength, but he flipped them. She was now on her hands and knees before him. Her rear on display for him, while her head rested on the bed. He drove himself into her, watching as he disappeared into her tight sheath. He felt her muscles clamp around him, milking him, but he fought off his release. He wanted to hear his name on her mouth.

He pounded into her ruthlessly, reveling in her screams now that he knew they weren’t from pain. He thrust once more before losing himself and spilling deep within her. Her growled loudly as he heard his name, pleasure and pride washed through him, Shepard had called _his_ name not his brother’s.

He knew this didn’t mean they were a couple. This was about two people who needed each other for a night. But he wished it meant more. In the morning he would find out if it could be more. He wouldn’t push, but he needed to know.

He watched as Verena fell asleep, soon after he followed. For the first time since seeing his brother dead body on the ground, it was a peaceful sleep.        

   

 


	7. Chapter 7

Shepard rolled onto her back, stretching out her sore muscles. She groaned as she felt a twinge of pain in her lower regions. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced toward the side of the bed she never slept on and knew someone had been there. Hesitantly she sniffed the pillow, but the scent wasn’t familiar to her.

She knew she’d slept with someone, but she couldn’t have given a name even under threat of death. Quickly she played back the night, her heart racing as a sliver of memory returned. No, I couldn’t have… she thought frantically. Images of Sparatus covering her with his body came to the front of her mind. Sparatus’s claws digging into her skin. His name on her lips as she found her release. Shit, I did fuck Sparatus. What the hell was I thinking? she scolded herself. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Shit, she was still mourning the loss of Nihlus. That was probably why she’d succumbed, because she needed to be with someone close to her mate.

That had to be it. She hoped.

Quickly she grabbed a shower and dressed. She wondered who had stayed at her place last night and how much they had heard. That worried her. Nihlus had told her a few times that she wasn’t a quiet lover. He hadn’t cared. Actually, he’d enjoyed it.

She walked into the kitchen to find everyone waiting for her. Sparatus appeared to be gone, which was really good. “He left about an hour ago,” Wrex told her, chuckling as she glared at him.

“Did you think of shooting him?” she asked sweetly.

“And have you pissed at me? No,” Wrex answered, still grinning.

“Pity. It would have saved me a lot of hassle today,” she muttered, shaking her heard.

“You’re complaining? You seemed to be enjoying yourself last night, human,” Wrex stated, his voice turning hard.

“Probably was, but not with the right turian. Sparatus was a mistake,” she stated, glaring at Wrex.

“A mistake? Didn’t sound like that,” Wrex answered, returning her scowl. “You humans are fickle.”

Garrus rose to his feet, preparing to defend Shepard. He could understand what Wrex was saying and even agreed with it. Shepard shouldn’t have been upset for having sex with Sparatus, and she was making a big deal out of nothing; at least as far as he was concerned.

“Wrex, you don’t know the whole story. Sparatus is Nihlus’ brother and Nihlus was my mate until he was killed by Saren,” she growled, her voice turning cold. Garrus nearly dropped his glass, and he heard the humans gasp. He glanced at Wrex to see what his reaction would be. The krogan looked shocked for a moment and then nodded.

Wrex wasn’t sure what to say about her declaration. He knew how turians looked upon mated couples. In his culture, however, there was no such thing as ‘mated couples’. He couldn’t understand the idea behind her statement. He glanced at Garrus to see his reaction and noticed that the turian was watching her carefully. He didn’t seem to be as guarded as he was before.

“Anyway, we need to leave,” Shepard muttered, avoiding any other questions before they could begin.

Kaidan moved up beside her. “You ok?” he asked softly so the others wouldn’t hear.

“When I see Saren’s head on a silver platter, I will be just fine,” Shepard replied and grinned menacingly.

“We should go,” Ashley muttered, looking at her commander worriedly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Shepard being a turian’s mate. She could never do something like that. She didn’t trust most aliens.

Shepard nodded, taking lead. She hesitated when she felt Garrus’ hand on her shoulder. He nodded to her before releasing his grip. She understood the hidden message - he still accepted and respected her. For some odd reason, that brought her relief. She smiled at him before resuming her original course.

~oooooooooooo~

Shepard stood before the Council, a cunning smile on her face. She had just been made a Spectre and Saren was on the run with no support from the Council. She couldn’t wait to bring him to justice.

“Shepard, my office,” Sparatus ordered once her team was left alone with the Council.

Shepard felt butterflies rush through her. She was actually nervous about being alone with Sparatus. She remembered everything that happened, including the pleasure she had felt while with him and it scared her. She didn’t want to give up her memory of Nihlus, nor did she want to replace them. And Sparatus was Nihlus’ brother – it just seemed wrong somehow.

She took a deep breath and walked into Sparatus’s office. “You’ve been avoiding this office and there are important things that need to be discussed. Nihlus left a few things for you. The first is his collection of weapons – all of it. He also left you a substantial amount of funds and this certificate,” Sparatus stated brusquely as he passed her the sheet of paper that declared her Nihlus’ mate.

“Sparatus, I can’t take this. This shouldn’t be known. I never wanted him to acknowledge our relationship publically and have his people turn against him,” Shepard muttered tiredly.

“I know. But it was his final request and I can’t deny it. He loved you, Shepard. At least allow him this,” Sparatus whispered, his emotions too volatile to speak louder.

“Fine,” Shepard sighed, defeated. She couldn’t say no to his final wish, but now his name would be ruined. Once Sparatus registered the information, every turian would know that Nihlus had been mated with a human.

“Those were the main things. He has an apartment. What do you wish me to do with it?” he asked, watching her closely.

“What did he leave you, Sparatus?” she asked. It seemed as if she was getting too much. Nihlus didn’t have that many things.

“You and I split his money. I got his vehicle, you got his weaponry. You would have better use for them than I would. Use them, for him. Turians never allow a weapon from the dead to go to waste,” Sparatus stated sternly. “I’m selling the apartment unless you wish to have it.”

“No, do what you wish with it. I could never stay there now,” Verena muttered, blinking rapidly to avoid tears.

“All that is left is his tags. They should go to you. You should be wearing them, showing you are a mate in mourning. You are onboard a human ship and that may cause problems for you, however. The choice is yours as to how you deal with them,” Sparatus told her, waiting to see what she would do with the tags. He smirked as she placed them around her neck. He knew she wouldn’t care what others thought of her. She was stubborn enough to take up the challenge that would go with the stigma.

“Is that it?” she asked.

“For now. Other than finding Saren and bringing his body back dead or alive, that is all,” Sparatus stated coldly. He had to keep his emotions in check after last night. It would be too easy to lose himself and he didn’t want that yet. Not with his brother’s mate.

“How long do I wear the tags to show my mourning?” she asked hesitantly. This was a foreign thing for her. She never asked Nihlus about it and she didn’t want to disrespect him.

“Until you find yourself a worthy mate. He will tell you when it’s time to remove them,” Sparatus explained.

Shepard nodded, unsure what to say. It wasn’t as though she was ever going to mate again. She watched Sparatus for a moment as he stood stiffly before her. Without another word she made to leave, but was stopped at the door. “One last thing. Verani Pallin is now your ambassador. I know he is not an actual ambassador, but he has the same privileges and rites as they do. More so, in certain cases, with his connections to C-Sec,” Sparatus ordered.

“What about the usual ambassador for turians?” she asked uncertainly.

“He would never accept you. Verani knows you and has respect for you. Use him, Shepard. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean your old ambassador can’t still give you orders. You are still human, but this gives you somewhere you can go when you need help. I know you don’t care for Udina,” he explained patiently.

“Is there anything else?” she asked.

“Not at the moment. There is more we need to discuss, but that will have to wait until a later time. Right now, your job is to find and kill Saren,” Sparatus ordered coldly. “I’ll be speaking with you shortly.”

Verena nodded before leaving. This time she wasn’t stopped and the doors closed behind her. A part of her was ecstatic that she didn’t have to go through Udina anymore. The price for that freedom, though, had been too high. She had to lose someone she loved to have him out of her life.

Her eyes widened as she saw her teaming standing nearby, waiting for her. “Why are you still here?” she asked.

“Waiting for you, Commander,” Ashley answered. “We weren’t sure if the Turian Councilor would have another mission for you, so we stayed nearby to help if needed.”

Garrus’ eyes widened as he saw the tags Shepard was wearing. He wasn’t sure if she knew the significance of the second tag. He first inclination was to stay out of it, but she was a human following turian traditions. It wouldn’t be fair to her if she wasn’t given the entire story. With a sigh, wondering if he was doing the right thing, he stepped forward and lightly touched the tags. “Did he explain this to you?” he asked uncertainly.

“He said a mate wore these while she was in mourning,” she answered, looking uncertain.

“That is true for the first tag, but the second one belongs to the Councilor. Since he was Nihlus’ brother, it is his obligation to step forward as family. This tag shows that you’re under his protection,” Garrus explained, watching a multitude of expressions cross her face.

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment,” she growled, storming back to Sparatus’s office. She thought for sure that the guards would stop her and check with Sparatus. Instead they took one glance at the tags and moved out of the way without a word. She walked into the office to find him talking with someone.

Sparatus glanced up when his door opened. He was surprised to see Shepard standing there, but he didn’t like the look in her eyes.

“We need to talk,” she announced, not bothering to lower her voice.

Sparatus glanced at the screen and cut communications. The look in her eyes told him this particular conversation wouldn’t wait.

“What can I do for you, Commander?” Sparatus asked snidely.

“Don’t give me that bullshit! You forgot to mention something very important, you ass. This second tag is yours. What the fuck, Sparatus?” she nearly yelled.

“Why don’t you sit down so we can discuss this pleasantly,” Sparatus commented, motioning to the seat in front of his desk. Verena ignored him, but moved closer to the desk.

“And you say I am a pain in the ass,” Sparatus muttered, shaking his head. He didn’t know what he saw in this human or why he had feelings for her, but he did. “In turian culture, the next of kin protects the spouse of a deceased mate,” he stated, waiting for the explosion.

“No! I didn’t ask for this. I spent most of my time protecting Nihlus’ name so no one would find out that we were together. Now you expect me to do the same for you? Not a chance in hell!” she snarled.

“I never asked you to protect my name. You don’t need to. Now if you’ll sit down and listen instead of living up to your race’s annoying reputation, I’ll explain,” Sparatus growled, his anger finally getting the better of him with this female. Now maybe he could get his head on straight and quit thinking of her every five minutes.

“Don’t patronize me,” she hissed, leaning against his desk with her arms crossed.

“Verena, I’m a member of the Council. I am also turian, which helps us both out. Turian and humans have been at odds since the wars. You know this as well as I. Your race is too stubborn and thick headed to see that they are asking for too much too soon. But your race has one benefit…” he trailed off, unsure of this part. He wasn’t sure how she would react to a plan that had been laid out for him. The other Councilors had already spoken to him about this idea. In fact, he’d been speaking to them when she barged into his office.

These talks had been going on since Nihlus’ death. It had been the Salarian Councilor’s suggestion, though at the time not a serious one. But now that Shepard had become a Spectre they were seriously thinking about it. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He didn’t want to force Verena into anything. That was the last thing he wanted.

“What, Sparatus?” she asked, annoyed that he had stopped speaking.

“The Council has been discussing ways to solidify its alliance with humanity,” he began. “Next to turians, humanity has the largest fleet and the most manpower of any other race. The Council needs that to protect its people. The Normandy was but one way of doing this. I didn’t agree with it in the beginning, but it was the best solution. Surprisingly it worked. Now another alternative has shown itself…” Sparatus stopped. He wasn’t sure if he could continue. It wasn’t because of Verena; it was because he didn’t want to lose the trust he’d developed with her and he knew this could do it.

“Sparatus, just spit it out. I can already see that it’s bad news and you are unsure of it. So just say what the fuck is going on,” she snapped with annoyance.

“The Council wants me to take you as my mate. Humans will see their hero with a turian and the turians will see their leader with a human. The Council seems to think that this might bridge the gap between our people,” Sparatus hissed. He rose to his feet. He couldn’t stand sitting anymore; he needed to move.

“Sparatus, I just lost Nihlus and you expect me to agree to this?” she asked incredulously.

“No I don’t. If it did happen, I know you would always be Nihlus’ mate. It would be a match in name only,” Sparatus muttered, not able to meet her eyes for fear she would see too much.

“I am not going to answer that right now,” she hissed. “I will not…” she said and growled her frustration, turning to storm out of Sparatus’s office.

Sparatus moved next to her, placing one hand on her shoulder. “Verena, I’m not going to push anything. I’ll handle things here,” Sparatus stated, trying to reassure her. He removed his hand when he felt her muscles tighten, but he also saw her eyes darken when he touched her. And, just as he’d feared, the trust that had been building between then was no longer shining in her eyes. She might have reacted to him physically, but that didn’t mean much.

Sparatus watched her leave and wondered what she had been about to say. He knew the idea was a bad one. He thought about keeping it from her; but if there was a chance she could catch wind of the plan, he wanted her to hear it from him first.

~oooooooooo~

Garrus watched Shepard storm out of the Councilor’s office and was glad he wasn’t the one who’d caused her anger. If looks could kill, whoever pissed her off was dead ten times over. He actually felt bad for the Turian Councilor.

He wondered what happened to place Shepard in this mood. “Are we ready to leave?” Garrus asked as she stormed over to them.

“Yes, we are. The sooner the better. The rest of you can find something to do. I will be in C-Sec talking with Pallin,” she told them.  
She didn’t bother waiting to see what the others were doing. She needed to talk with someone who would understand and the only person she could think of was Verani. She hoped he would know what to do.

After she was done with him, she would talk with Anderson about the next stage in their search for the renegade Spectre. Then it was after Saren. That was the only thing she could look forward to at the moment. She just wished that she could skip the rest.

Shepard walked in Verani’s office unannounced. She watched as his head snapped up with a glare. That glare quickly turned to shock as she took a seat. “I need help and you are the only one I trust right now,” she murmured.

Pallin sat back in his chair. He had already heard about the Council’s plan. They had asked for his input since he knew Shepard. He had told them not to bother, but it seemed that they hadn’t listened. He found that out when he listened to Shepard’s story. He shook his head. The Council had the worst timing. Shepard was still in mourning and would be for a while. Right now she was as vulnerable as she could be; which for her wasn’t much. He hid his smile as she growled her anger. He waited for her to blow and was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t.

“So what the hell do you think I should do? I am lost on this one,” she muttered.

“We both know that you don’t want this, so why not tell the Council that?” Pallin asked logically.

“Because I lack diplomacy. If I had it my way, I would walk up to them and tell them to shove it up their scrawny asses,” she smiled coldly.

“Hmm, I can see the problem with that. I’ll let them know that you’ve declined their offer and are still in mourning,” Pallin told her with a smirk. “Here is my extranet address if you need to speak with me. My personal number is there, as well,” Pallin stated as he sent her the information. “Is there anything else I can do?” Being an ambassador was completely new to him, and he still couldn’t believe he had been assigned to this particular task

“Yeah. A ship would be nice,” she grinned as he groaned.

“No. Anderson and Udina have already taken care of that. Go talk to Captain Anderson. If Udina gives you a hard time, come back to me and I’ll reminded him that you are no longer under human jurisdiction. I’m sure that he’ll argue the point, but he’ll lose,” Pallin muttered. He hated dealing with the human ambassador.

“Oh no. You won’t be dealing with Udina. I’ll do that myself. I adore putting him in his place,” she said and grinned maliciously.

“Well, I’ll leave that to you. While you are chasing after Saren I’ll check on your apartment every now and then,” he offered.

“Thanks. I owe you for that,” Verena grinned as she left her seat. She gave a quick wave and left Pallin to his work as she made her way to Captain Anderson.

~oooooooooooooo~

Anderson and Udina were standing outside the Normandy in the docking area. She could see the captain was under some strain and wondered about the cause. If that asshole of a human had something to do with it, she would make him pay.

Shepard moved over to them and tried to listen to their conversation, but that was a no-go. “Shepard, this is to be your ship now,” Udina stated coldly, gesturing toward the Normandy.

“Really,” she muttered doubtfully. “And what about Anderson?”

“Don’t worry about him. Your only concern is catching Saren,” Udina bit out, glaring at her.

“Captain, what happened?” she asked, ignoring Udina.

“Take the Normandy, Shepard. She’s a good ship, and you’ll be an excellent commander,” Anderson murmured.

“Don’t give me that bullshit. What happened?” she asked once again.

Anderson sighed. He hated telling Shepard about the change in situation. “I’ve been reassigned to desk duty. I’m getting too old for these chases. You need to do this, Shepard. You’re the best we have and I know you’ll get Saren,” Anderson stated with certainty as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get him,” she said fiercely. “But I hate the thought of taking your ship from you.”

“You aren’t. I’m giving you the ship,” Anderson told her.

She stood at attention and saluted him, even though she didn’t have to. She was showing him the respect he deserved. “Thank you for this, Captain,” she murmured.

“Shepard, don’t forget where you belong. You may be a Spectre now, but that doesn’t change things. You’re still human and we come first,” Udina hissed.

“Udina, I take it that you missed the memo stating that you are no longer my ambassador?” she commented mockingly. “Let me highlight it for you. Pallin is my ambassador now. You can’t say shit and I don’t have to listen to anything you have to say,” she sneered, grinning as he turned red.

“You…you… that Turian Councilor is the cause of all this. I’ll make sure you are back with humans before you get back, Shepard,” he hissed.

“You wish. If you somehow manage to get me back under your control, I won’t stop until you have a complete meltdown. I promise you,” she announced and laughed as he sputtered and stormed away.

“You really know how to get under his skin,” Anderson chuckled. His laughter died down and he looked at her with a serious expression. He moved closer to her. “It has been an honor to work with you, Shepard,” he murmured. Without another word he turned and walked away. She watched him leave and sent Kaidan and Ashley a quick message; telling them to come to the Normandy.

~oooooooooooooo~

Shepard stood behind Joker, staring at him in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘there are three people wanting to come onboard’?” she asked.

“Exactly what I said. There are three people waiting outside, asking for your permission to board. They said you know them and they want to find Saren with you,” Joker explained slowly.

She narrowed her eyes at the sarcasm that she heard in his voice. She would have given him shit, but that was Joker. He could be amusing or annoying, and right now she wasn’t sure which to choose.

“Well, let them in,” she drawled.

“You sure, Commander?” Joker asked hesitantly.

“Joker, don’t make me take your cane and braces,” she threatened halfheartedly.

“Cruel, Commander. That was just cruel,” Joker muttered with amusement as he pushed the button to open the decontamination door.

“I guess she has your number,” Kaidan commented as he took a seat beside Joker.

“Yeah, you just laugh it up,” Joker muttered, scowling at Kaidan.

“Well holy shit,” Shepard muttered as she watched Wrex, Garrus and Tali walk toward her. “Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but, why are you here?” she asked.

Wrex chuckled, but the other two looked confused at the metaphor. “Gift horse, meaning a really good present,” she explained.

“We want Saren,” Garrus stated. “I’m not giving up until he’s caught.”

Wrex didn’t say a word, but nodded his agreement. Tali nodded, as well. Shepard could see that she was nervous about being onboard and didn’t blame her; this was a human ship, after all. “We’ll be leaving in an hour, so I would advise you to finish any outstanding business that you may have on the Citadel,” she told them.

“All I need to know is where to place my stuff,” Wrex grunted.

“Considering we don’t have rooms big enough for you and you aren’t spending your time in my room, I would suggest the cargo bay,” Shepard told him.

“Ha! Human, you wouldn’t know what to do with me if I was in your room,” Wrex snorted.

“You keep believing that, Krogan,” Shepard replied and grimaced as the image came to her. It wasn’t one she wanted.

She watched as the three aliens headed down the stairs. Now she needed to pick up food for them. She was fairly certain they didn’t have food onboard that any of them could eat. Quickly she sent Pallin a message, telling him the change in her roster. It didn’t take him long to answer and the response was short. She needed to set up a video call with him right away.

She went to her office. It felt odd walking into this room and trying to think of it as hers. She glanced around, feeling as though she was treading on sacred ground. Ignoring the idiotic feeling she approached her computer console and called Pallin.

“Do you want to explain to me how you managed to add a krogan and a quarian to your crew so quickly?” he asked.

“They helped me with the investigation into Saren. The quarian is the one who gave me the information that enabled me to have Saren’s Spectre status revoked. I may have an asari onboard soon, as well,” she explained.

His eyes widened. He was surprised to hear that she was about to have a multi-species ship, but he really shouldn’t have been. Shepard had never had a problem with other races. She always treated them as equals. “I’ll send enough food for three months. Return before then and there will be more waiting for you. Sparatus is going to love this, since the Council will be paying this bill,” Pallin muttered. He only been her ambassador for a few hours and he was already costing them precious funds. “Before I send this request is there anything else you wish to add to it?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yeah there is. I need replacement parts for the mako, just in case,” she added, grinning unrepentantly as Pallin groaned.

“I’m not even going to ask if there is anything else you wish,” he muttered, grimacing when he realized how much this would cost. He was almost positive he wouldn’t be her ambassador for very long.

“How long will it take for the food to get here?” she asked.

“If the Council pays, an hour, maybe more. If they don’t pay for this, you won’t be leaving until tomorrow,” Pallin muttered, scowling at her.

“Do you want me to ask Sparatus?” she offered. She didn’t want to see him get in trouble.

“No, this is part of my job. I am going to make sure that I mention your name, though,” he grinned before cutting communications.

Shepard sat back in her chair and chuckled. It was so much easier talking to Pallin than Udina. At least he didn’t annoy her. She sighed when she looked at the clock. It bothered her that she didn’t know when she was going to leave. Now she wished that she had called Sparatus herself, but she couldn’t do that to Pallin. He had always been there for her.

Time passed slowly. The first hour felt like a day, and the second felt like a week. She’d already finished the paperwork to have the three aliens added to her crew. She’d taken their information, looked over their credentials and any military history they had.

“Shepard, you have an incoming call marked urgent,” Joker told her.

“Send it to my personal computer,” she ordered. She watched as her screen flared to life and Pallin’s face appeared. “What did the Council say?” she asked, expecting the worst.

“Your food is on its way. The food for turians should also be there since Garrus has my permission to be aboard the ship,” he answered. She looked at him closely and could see tension on his face.

“What’s bothering you?” she asked, not sure if she’d just overstepped her bounds.

“Nothing but work pertaining to C-Sec. If I will need your help I’ll let you know,” Pallin told her. “I was wondering if you could mentor Garrus while he’s onboard, however.”

“Sure, but he’s an excellent sharpshooter already. His hand to hand is amazing, so I am not sure what else I can teach him other than patience,” she commented.

“Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out,” he muttered. “I need to get back to work. All you have to do is sign the papers when the deliveries arrive.”

“Thanks, Verani,” she murmured before shutting off her machine.

~oooooooooooooo~

The food was delivered, along with parts for the mako. They could finally begin their search. She nodded to Joker and he grinned, already starting the procedure to depart from the Citadel.

She made her way to the mess hall to grab some food. She had been too annoyed to eat earlier. It had taken forever for the supplies to arrive and that was what annoyed her.

She noticed Garrus and Kaidan sitting together. She was happily surprised to find that Alenko didn’t have an aversion to aliens. She walked over to their table and took a seat, setting her plate down gently.

“Are we finally off?” Kaidan asked.

“Yep. We are picking up the asari first. Hopefully she has some information about her mother,” Shepard murmured.

Garrus sat back, listening to them talk. He was still waiting for his food to be unpacked. His stomach felt empty, but with turian training it was easy to ignore. He flashed back to his earlier conversation with Pallin. He was surprised that Pallin wanted him to keep an eye on Shepard. He didn’t think she needed it.

“What’s annoying you?” Shepard asked, watching him intently.

“Nothing important,” Garrus answered. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her or not. He knew she wouldn’t appreciate it.

“Uh huh, like I believe that,” Shepard scoffed.

He cringed inwardly; she was too intuitive for his comfort. He needed to speak with Pallin before he told her anything. He faked a smile. “It’s nothing,” Garrus said, trying to make his voice sound calm even through his worry. He didn’t know what she would do if she found out he was watching her without her knowledge.

“If you say so. But if this ‘nothing’ comes back to bite me on the ass, I won’t be impressed,” she said.

He really needed to talk with Pallin. The sooner the better, Garrus thought worriedly. He nodded, showing he understood the threat. He didn’t think this would harm her, but it would annoy her.

Shepard watched him for a moment before turning back to her food. She could see something was bothering Garrus. It was apparent in his body language. She didn’t think Garrus would keep something from her that might hurt the crew, but she knew it was better to be cautious. She barely knew this turian. She would have to keep a closer eye on him for the time being.


	8. Chapter 8

Shepard sat at a table in the mess hall. Kaidan, Garrus and Ashley were seated around her. They were finally on their way to get Benezia's daughter. Unfortunately, the journey would take three days. That annoyed her.

"What's our first stop, Shep?" Kaidan asked.

"We're picking up an asari named Liara. After that, I am not sure," she answered, her voice not holding its usual crisp tone. She hated that she couldn't completely hide her irritation; but after speaking with Sparatus, it was to be expected.

Kaidan watched her for a few moments and knew something was bothering her. He would have brought it up if they had been alone, but he didn't think it would be appropriate with Ashley and Garrus so close by. He remembered her reaction the morning after her encounter with the Turian Councilor and worried for her. He decided to wait for a time when she was alone to talk with her.

"Commander, you have an incoming call. I'm transferring it your room," Joker announced and Shepard could hear the irritation in his voice. He had already sent three calls to her room. Pallin had contacted her shortly after they left the Citadel. Captain Anderson was next. The last call was from Admiral Hackett, asking her to handle an Alliance issue. Now she was curious as to who would be contacting her. As far as she was concerned, she had already spoken to every important person she knew.

She was shocked when she took a seat in her office chair. Sparatus's face appeared on the screen before her. "What can I do for you?" she asked, trying her best to keep the annoyance out of her voice. After their last conversation she didn't want to talk to him.

Sparatus sighed tiredly. He knew he had made a mistake by telling her of the Council's plans. Now she didn't trust him. He could see it in her eyes and it bothered him greatly. "Pallin notified the Council of your decision a few hours ago. For the past hour they have been attempting to come up with alternative ways to strengthen the relationship between turians and humans. None have been found. Verena, there is a high chance that they might push this. So I thought I should warn you," Sparatus answered tiredly.

"Can't you stop it?" she asked desperately.

Sparatus growled low in his throat, hoping she didn't hear the noise. He wasn't sure how to answer the question without creating more problems. "Verena, you have to remember that I am a still a politician. What the Council suggests has merit, but I won't push it," he answered softly, waiting for the explosion.

Shepard closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn't know what to say. Sparatus had warned her and he wasn't actually pushing this on her, but the thought of being with anyone but Nihlus didn't sit right with her. She wanted to yell at him, to place all the blame on his shoulders, but she couldn't.

"Thanks for the warning, Sparatus," she muttered, and then cut the transmission. She sat back in her chair, Sparatus's words replaying in her mind. If the issue was forced, he'd already assured her that the marriage would be in name only. Could she take him at his word? And would she want to be in an emotionless marriage? She didn't know what to do, but she knew one thing. Saren needed to be stopped. That was her first priority – her only priority – at the moment. The Council would do what they wanted. There was nothing she could do to stop them.

O~~O

Sparatus sat back in his chair, glaring at his fellow Councilors. They were deep in discussion about his possible marriage to Shepard. They wanted to push for a partnership between them and he was stalling, using his well-known attitude toward humans.

"Sparatus, you have to see that this is the quickest and best solution," Tevos murmured, her voice calm as ever, never betraying what she thought.

"Why me? You could have Pallin do it with the same results," he muttered, scowling at them. Inside he was cringing; he didn't want Shepard with Pallin at all.

"Pallin doesn't have your political position. It wouldn't mean as much. You are the Turian Councilor; well respected by your people," the salarian answered quickly. Sparatus shook his head. He couldn't remember the name of the man most of the time. It was like most salarian names, long enough that you ran out of breath before you finished it.

"Fine, point taken. But you are forgetting one thing. She's in mourning," Sparatus reminded them.

"I highly doubt there will be emotions in this union, so it doesn't matter," the salarian said and waved away his retort.

"We don't even know if humanity will accept this plan. They might find it insulting that we are forcing one of theirs into a union with a turian," Sparatus reasoned. He had promised Verena that he would delay their plans as long as he could, but he wasn't having much luck.

"Human history has shown that they use contracts for marriages. See no difference now. Human government is willing to go along with this. Ambassador Udina has agreed to the terms, as well as three of their highest ranking admirals," the salarian explained with a smug expression. Sparatus felt the sudden urge to shoot him.

His eyes narrowed when he heard him mention 'terms' a few times. As far as he knew, terms hadn't been agreed upon yet. He hadn't been notified of any agreement on the terms of the contract. "What terms would those be?" he asked silkily with a hard edge to his voice.

"Marriage lasts for five years. Within those five years, you and Commander Shepard will be seen together and allow news reporters to question you. The Council has agreed to fund another multi-cultural ship; built by both humans and turians. Also, humans will receive funding from the Council for a couple of their colonies. Finally, turian and human soldiers will begin training together within Citadel space. New training grounds already being built," the salarian stated, his voice cold and calculating.

"When was I to be notified?" Sparatus growled, his hands clenched into fists.

"All papers were just signed an hour ago," Tevos answered.

Sparatus closed his eyes and counted to ten before speaking. He knew if he said the first thing that came to mind, he may well lose his position on the Council. "So, everything is finalized and I have no choice but to mate with a human?" Sparatus asked, putting as much scorn into the question as he could. The other two Councilors didn't seem surprised by his comment, so he must have pulled it off. If he hadn't, he knew they would be a lot more alert and quite possibly question his motives.

"Yes, all that needs to be done is to finalize a date," the salarian stated brusquely.

"Shepard is away from the Citadel chasing after Saren. There is no way for this to proceed until Saren is stopped," Sparatus reminded them with a smug grin. He'd finally found Verena's way out.

"No, that goes against the negotiations. Shepard is to report back to the Citadel immediately. Once docked, we will proceed with the union," the salarian told him with an unflinching gaze. "I would suggest you contact her immediately and inform her before she docks."

"I'll inform her immediately. If you'll excuse me," Sparatus bit out before storming out of the room.

They watched as he walked out, remaining silent for a few moments after the door closed behind him. "I thought your contacts told you that Sparatus had already been intimate with the commander?" Tevos asked her fellow Councilor.

"No, my contacts said that Sparatus had spent the night at Shepard's. They don't know what happened once he entered the apartment," he answered with annoyance. "But why would he be there all night if not for intimacies?"

"Sparatus had already placed himself as her guardian after Nihlus' death. That could be the reason he was there. My contacts told me they left the bar and the commander hadn't been sober," the asari murmured thoughtfully. But none of this mattered in the long run. The contracts had already been signed and agreements were already underway. All that was left was the very public marriage ceremony. Then they would wait and see the effect the union had on relations between the turians and humans.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Joker scowled at the panel when it sounded an alert that there was incoming message. "Presley, there is another incoming call for Shepard," he told Shepard's XO.

"Record who it is from and notify Shepard when she returns," Presley answered with a shrug.

"That just it. It's been the same person the last four times. I don't know who's being so annoying," Joker muttered, scowling as the alert sounded once again.

"Again?" Presley asked, looking shocked. "It must be an emergency if they are this persistent. Send the calls to my terminal from now on. I'll handle it from there."

"Will do, but Shepard isn't going to like that," Joker mumbled, feeling bad for the guy when Shepard found out.

"Shepard wouldn't like what?" Kaidan asked as he took a seat next to Joker.

"Someone has been trying to contact her and isn't giving up. Presley said he's going to handle it," Joker answered, shrugging.

"Who is it from?" Kaidan asked, looking at him quizzically.

"Don't know. The sender is blocked. So I know it's not from the Council," Joker shrugged.

"It may not be the whole Council, but it might be the Turian Councilor," Kaidan commented.

They glanced over their shoulders when they heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. "You're right, it is him. He wants the commander to contact him as soon as she boards," Presley muttered, his face extremely pale. Kaidan wondered what had been said to place that look on the man's face.

"You ok, Presley?" Kaidan asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine if I don't have to talk with that turian again," he muttered with a shiver. He thought Shepard had a killer look, but she had nothing on that turian. He was down-right scary. He didn't know how Shepard could talk with him without having fear creep up her spine. He had heard once that the Turian Councilor hated humans, and he believed it. The turian's expression could only be called menacing.

~ooooooooooooo~

Shepard sighed, standing behind Joker as he pulled the Normandy away from the exploding volcano. "Shepard, the Normandy wasn't made to withstand exploding mountains," Joker grumbled at her.

"Told you that you would have many chances to prove yourself," Shepard answered with a grin.

"The next time you decide to test me, give me some warning. I might decide to take shore leave," Joker smirked as she chuckled. He watched her walk away to give a debriefing to the Council.

Shepard stood in front of the monitor, waiting for Joker to connect her with the Council so she could give her report. She really didn't want to do this. What she wanted was food, sleep and a good back rub. Two of them she could have, but the third would likely never happen again.

"Commander, before I patch you through to the Council, you should know that the Turian Councilor has been trying to reach you since the moment you left the ship," Joker stated.

"Fine," Shepard said and sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "Patch me through to him first." She really didn't want to speak with him at the moment, but she knew she had no choice.

Sparatus sat at his desk, waiting impatiently for Shepard to contact him. She was probably avoiding him once more. He wouldn't have been surprised. His eyes widened when he received the alert about an incoming call. He sighed in relief when Verena's face appeared before him, annoyed as ever. He knew this talk they were about to have wasn't going to be an easy one. She was going to be very angry. He was expecting threats and curses before she hung up on him.

"What do you want, Sparatus?" Verena asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance. She smirked as Sparatus raised a brow ridge. She could see that he wanted to reprimand her, but something was holding him back. She had to grin. If he was going to behave and not reprimand her, she might as well enjoy the moment.

Sparatus held in his amusement. This was exactly what he had been expecting, though it made this talk a lot harder. "The Council is forcing the issue. You are to make your way to the Citadel and shortly after you land, our marriage is to take place," Sparatus told her. He kept his voice neutral, devoid of all emotion. A part of him was happy this was happening; but he wasn't certain about joining with a human, even if it was Verena.

"Then you better figure out a way to stop this or to stall them. I am not heading back to the Citadel for a while," Verena bit out coldly.

"You have no choice and they will not allow you to put this off. They want this done within the next few days," Sparatus warned her.

"WHAT?" Shepard yelled, her hand slamming down hard on the desk. "There is no fucking way I am flying my ass there to get married within the next couple of days!" she snarled. Without another word, she slammed her hand down on the keyboard and disconnected the call.

Sparatus stared at the screen. The conversation had gone exactly as he expected. He was surprised it lasted as long as it had. He was also glad they hadn't had this conversation in person.

He glanced up when his door opened and the Salarian Councilor walked in. "Have you informed her?" he asked.

"I've informed her, but she isn't taking this well," Sparatus answered as he withheld his chuckle.

"Then we will have to talk with her when she gives her report," the salarian said.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. She already cut communications with me," he began, but the salarian was already walking out the door. Sparatus shook his head. He knew this debriefing was going to be a disaster. A part of him didn't want to be there, yet another part wanted to see the anger on her face. He wanted to see her skin flushed with rage. It reminded him of the night they had spent together – the way her skin glistened and the rosy color in her cheeks when she called his name. He smirked as he made his way to the conference room.

Shepard paced her office, her hands clenched into fists. She was trying to calm down, but it wasn't happening. She wanted to wipe out the Council in one clean sweep.

"Setting up communication with the Council," Joker announced.

"I would hold off on that for a bit," Shepard hissed. Joker raised a brow at hearing the anger in her voice. He glanced at Kaidan with a questioning look. When the biotic didn't answer he decided to voice the question.

"Any idea what has her pissed?" Joker asked with a worried look.

"None, nor am I going to find out," Kaidan muttered.

"If you don't, who will?" Joker reasoned.

Kaidan smirked, "No one. People value their lives. A mad Shepard is very unhealthy for those who pissed her off."

"Joker, patch me through," Shepard stated, trying to keep her calm. She watched as the Council appeared before her. She wanted to be able to reach those holograms and strangle them slowly. She met Sparatus's eyes and saw the worried look in them.

"Before we discuss your mission there is something we need to address," the Salarian Councilor said.

"And what might that be?" Shepard sneered. Her voice had already dropped down to a warning level. The Salarian and Asari councilors didn't seem to notice, but Sparatus did. She caught him shifting in place and saw how he fought to keep his face devoid of expression.

"I believe Sparatus has already informed you of our intentions," The Asari Councilor murmured, watching her very closely. She shifted in place when she saw the raw rage in Shepard's eyes.

"Yes. He told me that you wish to force a marriage between us. You know, it's actually amusing. You are thinking of joining two people who hate each other," Shepard sneered coldly.

"It's a five year contract, and both races will benefit from it. It would be in your benefit and the benefit of your race if you would return to the Citadel within the week," the Salarian Councilor stated, ignoring her outburst. He knew for certain now that there was no hate between Sparatus and Shepard. When Sparatus walked into the main room for this meeting, his mating scent had been strong on the air.

"And if I don't?" Shepard asked coldly, her eyes narrowing. Sparatus shifted uneasily when he saw the look in Shepard's eyes. No one needed to tell him that she was already planning a way to get rid of them.

"Then you will be going against a direct order from the Council, which is treason. You'll find yourself imprisoned, your crew will be reprimanded and Executor Pallin will be stripped of rank for not forcing you to follow our orders," the salarian councilor snapped. She could see the victory in his eyes. "We will see you within the week."

Shepard glared at the Salarian Councilor, her eyes narrowing as she came up with many different scenarios for killing the Council. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Shepard hissed, not able to keep any semblance of calm in front of the aliens.

"Your mission," the Asari Councilor reminded her.

"We have Liara onboard and I am about to make a course change to the Citadel instead of hunting down Saren for his crimes," Shepard snapped before cutting communications.

Verena stood with her fists clenched at her sides. She was seeing red, her body vibrating with rage. She glared at the empty screen and hissed. "Joker, plot a course for the Citadel. Feel free to take your time, but make sure we are there within the next five days," Shepard hissed.

Joker's eyes widened. "That doesn't sound good," he muttered, glancing at Kaidan worriedly.

"No, it doesn't. I know that voice and it means someone is going to die," Kaidan muttered, shaking his head.

"Wonder what happened," Joker muttered himself. They were barely on the ship two weeks and Shepard was already in an irate mood.

"Don't know, and I am not going to find out," Kaidan grimaced.

~oooooooooooooo~

Shepard paced her office. She didn't think it would be prudent to exit the office, not in her current mood. She wanted to scream her frustration to the entire ship. What she really wanted to do was kick the shit out of something. A small smile made its way onto her mouth. Without another thought she made her way quickly to the garage.

Garrus was working on the mako, learning everything about it. He'd decided to take over the repairs. It gave him something productive to do. He couldn't stand waiting around for something to happen. It wasn't in his nature.

He glanced up when he heard the elevator doors open. His eyes widened when he saw the rage in Shepard's eyes. He wondered what put it there. He was surprised when she walked over to Wrex. "Want to go a round?" Shepard asked the krogan.

"You'll lose," Wrex smirked.

"Try me," Shepard taunted, and moved back to the center of the room. She noticed that Garrus and Ashley had set aside their work to watch.

Ashley put the gun she had been cleaning down. She was surprised that the commander challenged Wrex and wondered what happened to put the barely concealed rage in Shepard's eyes. She leaned back against the table and watched as the two opponents circled each other. Shepard was violence in waiting and Wrex was amused. She could see his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Something told her that laughter was going to quickly disappear.

Shepard was the first to strike out. It wasn't a hit or two; it was multiple hits. Nowhere on the krogan was safe. He would take a swing, but Shepard had already moved from the position. Ashley could see that Wrex was becoming angry, and she wondered what would happen if Wrex actually decided to fight. She didn't think for an instant that the krogan was trying.

Ashley didn't have long to wait. Wrex bellowed and charged; his movements faster, more brutal. She would never want to get hit with one of those meaty fists. She stared in shock as one the Wrex's fists connected with Shepard and she acted as if she barely noticed.  
Ashley glanced over toward Garrus. He was standing there watching the fight, his eyes lit. She heard a thud and turned back to the fight. Wrex lay on his back and Shepard was holding his crest. She had an evil glint in her eyes.

"This is humiliating. Being beaten by a human and a female, no less," Wrex muttered, scowling up at the commander. He was surprised that a human had beaten him, but he shouldn't have been. He had read over Shepard's file and was surprised at what he found. Her commendation and medals were impressive. She had people from every race giving their input about her character and performance.  
He glanced at the turian and wondered if she was going to challenge him next. That would be interesting to watch. It seemed as if Shepard was a mind reader because her focus turned to Vakarian. "Want to go a round?" Shepard asked with an evil grin.

"You're on, commander," Garrus grinned, putting his gloves back on so he didn't harm her.

He circled her and watched her every movement carefully. He struck out first, taking her by surprise; but that didn't last. Her foot hit his side and her fist connected with the side of his face. He smirked. She had to know the shot to the face would barely affect him. He moved quickly, hitting her in the chest and backing away before she could retaliate. His eyes widened as her grin turned to pleasure. She moved quickly and she was all over him. He tried to block most of the hits, but she was quick. He had forgotten that she was a Vanguard, trained for hand-to-hand combat.

He let out a breath as she backed off. Her hits hadn't hurt much. They were more of an annoyance and he knew that was what she had planned. This time he waited until she came to him. He wasn't going to hold back and he knew that was what she wanted. She never said the words out loud, but her actions said it all. He caught her yawning once, her challenging eyes never leaving his. Another time he caught her rolling her eyes and brushing off the place he had touched her as if it was a bug. He got the point.

Garrus smirked as she moved quickly toward him. His leg shot out, catching her in the stomach. He moved quickly and pinned her to the ground, trying to end the fight quickly. It was the worst mistake he could have made. He wasn't sure how she did it, but her legs ended up tucked against her chest and the next thing he knew he was flying through the air. He barely had enough time to register that he'd landed before she was on him. Her tiny fists pummeled him, hitting all his weak areas before he could block any of them.

"You win, Shepard," he gasped out when her legs brushed against his sides. He wasn't interested in her, but his body was reacting to the stimuli it was receiving.

Verena stopped and looked down at where she sat. She was straddling Garrus' waist as she hit him. She lowered her eyes. She knew she had just made a mistake and may have turned the fight into something it wasn't intended to be. "Sorry, forgot myself," Shepard murmured as she stood up.

"So what put you in the mood to beat me and Wrex?" Garrus asked as he took the proffered hand.

"The Council and Sparatus. It seems they are forcing an issue," she growled, her anger coming back to her. She had hoped that fighting Wrex and Garrus would have cleared her mind, but it hadn't.

Without another word she walked out of the garage and back to her office so her crew would be safe once again. "Joker, notify me when we dock at the Citadel," Shepard ordered as she sat on her bed with a sigh.

"Will do, Commander," Joker answered. He glanced at Kaidan. "She not going to like this, but we'll be there in a few hours."

Kaidan nodded and decided to talk with Verena. He knew his first stop should be Chakwas' office to give her a heads up, but he decided against taking such a drastic measure. He stepped into her office and glanced around. She was sitting on her bed with her head buried in her hands. He didn't think she was crying. Shepard didn't cry. But something had obviously upset her.

"What happened?" Kaidan asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Are you asking because of the mission or as a friend?" Verena asked tiredly.

"What kind of question is that? I'm asking because I am worried about you! The only time I've ever seen you like this is when you spoke with one of the instructors after class and it didn't go well," Kaidan snapped, glaring at her. "So what has you so pissed off?"

Verena looked at Kaidan. He'd been her friend for several years. He knew what she was like and never ran. He knew when to run for cover and when she needed to spill her guts. "The Council has decided to use me in a political move to improve human and turian relations," Shepard grumbled.

"How are they doing that?" Kaidan asked, confused.

Verena gave a bitter laugh. "I'm supposed to marry Sparatus," she spat. "Nihlus hasn't even been dead for a month and they are forcing me to marry."

"Can they do that?" Kaidan asked quietly, not able to hide his shocked look.

"Yeah, they can. Everything has been arranged. The human representatives don't have a problem with it," she sighed, dropping her guard and showing him how much this bothered her. "I wish Nihlus was here. None of this would be happening."

Kaidan sat there quietly, stunned by what he heard. He couldn't believe that Shepard was being forced to marry the Turian Councilor. His hatred for humanity was well known; well, all of humanity but Verena. He didn't know what to say or how to help her, so he stayed at her side so she wouldn't be alone.

"You know, you can't kill the Council at your wedding. I know it would be a great wedding present and all, but we still need to find Saren and we don't need you in jail," Kaidan tried to joke just to lighten the mood in the room.

"As soon as the 'I do's' are done, the Normandy is leaving the Citadel and we are going after Saren. I will not let this stop me from getting my hands on that turian," Shepard stated coldly.

"No honeymoon, I take it?" Kaidan asked, wide-eyed. As he expected and planned, Shepard glared at him; her sad eyes disappearing. The sadness in her eyes unnerved him. He couldn't handle seeing her vulnerable side. The Shepard he knew wasn't vulnerable.

"No, no fucking honeymoon," Verena spat contemptuously.

"You'll have to consummate the union," Kaidan reminded her. When her gaze turned to his, he regretted saying a word. Now he wanted to take those words back, but he couldn't. "I think I am going to leave, for my own safety," he said hastily as he almost ran from the room.

Verena glared at the door. She was so tempted to throw something when Kaidan's back was turned to her, but she didn't want to harm any of her meager possessions. Instead she let out the growl she had been holding back and hit her desk.

~ooooooooooo~

She didn't know how long it took her to fall asleep; but when dreams finally came, Sparatus played a starring role in them. She lay on her bed wide awake, even though she only had a few hours of sleep. Those fucking dreams haunted her, and the content made her feel ashamed; as if she was betraying Nihlus' memory. She didn't know what caused her to have sexual dreams about Sparatus, but it was disturbing; especially with the marriage coming so soon.

"Commander, we are docking at the Citadel," Joker announced.

Shepard's eyes snapped open wide. "What do you mean 'we are docking'? I told you to take as many days as possible," she snapped.

"From where we were, there was no possible way to extend the trip," Joker stated, but she could hear the amusement in his voice. She was so not amused.

Angrily she got ready for the day. She didn't know what she was going to do to Joker. The list was very limited and none of it would give her any satisfaction. Instead she marched onto CIC. "Announce to the crew they have shore leave until tomorrow. Those who are not onboard tomorrow when I am ready to leave will be left behind," she stated coldly, cutting the channel.

Joker stared, startled. "What in the hell was that all about?" he asked. He was beginning to rethink his initial joy at being chosen to be the pilot on this ship.

"The Council is forcing Shepard to marry Sparatus to further relations between turians and humans," Kaidan told him softly. Dead silence descended over the CIC deck as the others overheard what he said. He hoped it wasn't supposed to be a secret. He knew it wouldn't remain a secret for long, once the media got hold of it.

"What do I do about the turian waiting outside?" Joker asked quietly, his snide comments disappearing.

"What turian?" Kaidan muttered, looking at the view screen. His eyes widened. The Turian Councilor stood outside, looking as pissed off as Shepard did. He wondered if either of them was going to survive this wedding. "Notify Shepard that the Turian Councilor is waiting at the airlock," Kaidan said, trying to keep his voice from sounding panicked.

~ooooooooooooo~

Verena sat in her office across from Sparatus. She couldn't meet his eyes, not after last night's dream session. "Why are you here?" she muttered.

"You know why I am here. Everything is set and the Council is waiting for us," Sparatus told her. He was avoiding her gaze, as well. He didn't want to see the pain in her eyes. He could just imagine what she was thinking.

"You couldn't talk them out of this?" she asked with a bite to her words.

"No. They already had the papers signed when we had the meeting. I didn't know how far they'd gone until it was too late," Sparatus muttered, his fist connecting to the wall in front of him. Verena glanced up and smirked. It appeared that she wasn't the only one suffering.

"So how do we do this?" she asked.

"It will be a human and turian ceremony. Admiral Hackett will be presiding over the human part and a turian admiral will be presiding over the turian aspect. Once this is finished…." Sparatus trailed off. He didn't need to say what was expected of them.

"Don't hold your breath," Verena snapped.

"The Council will need proof," Sparatus stated uncomfortably. Shepard was shocked that he was showing any discomfort. It actually meant a lot to her that he wasn't hiding it beneath his usual cold veneer.

She nearly groaned. She didn't want to bed him again. It was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. With a weary sigh she led the way to CIC and nearly groaned when she found her ground crew on the deck, waiting for her.

"So it's true," Garrus stated, shocked.

"Yes, it's true. I take it they have it on the news already?" she asked, hoping they would reply in the negative.

"It's the lead story, Commander," Joker said, replaying the clip for her.

"Great, just fucking great," she spat, glaring at Sparatus. She could see this was affecting him, as well. She tried to hold her anger toward him, but it was impossible. He was as much a victim of the Council as she. Now she was about to go to her wedding; marrying a turian she had hated for years. The saddest part was that it was for the rest of her life. Turian's didn't believe in divorces or separations, whereas humans thought of divorce as just another step in the marriage cycle. She couldn't believe she had no choice in this. It was the first time in her life that she truly hated being so well known. She felt like she had no control over her life as she watched the news reel. She turned back to Sparatus and her breath caught when she saw the raw emotions on the Turian Councilor's face. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, but something bothered him greatly. She smirked as he scowled at her when he caught her watching him. He turned his attention back to the news reel, but she still didn't take her eyes off of him.

Sparatus listened to the story carefully. It gave a detailed account of Shepard's military history. The cold mask he had kept on his face crumbled slightly as they talked of her battle on Elysium. He remembered Nihlus telling him about Shepard's nightmares of the fight. He also remembered his brother sitting with him in his office, talking about Shepard. He turned his gaze to the woman that held his attention; still unable to explain his fascination with her.

Shepard caught Sparatus staring at her. She met his gaze with an unflinching one, but what she saw in his eyes stopped her. She saw that Sparatus cared for her more than he should. It seemed like a betrayal of Nihlus' memory that Sparatus would have feelings for her of any type. She scowled at him and made a decision. As long as she didn't return the feelings, there would be no betrayal.


	9. Chapter 9

Sparatus watched Verena as she stood before him, a look of betrayal on her face. He wasn’t surprised that the news was already reporting their marriage, but he hated that she was being forced to watch it. He’d expected her to be difficult to handle, but now that the situation had been thrown in her face, he wasn’t sure if he had even the slightest hope of success.

He met her eyes and flinched. Her look of betrayal was directed at him and no one else. He deserved nothing less; he had promised Nihlus that he would look out for her and protect her. What a fine job he had done so far. He was even disgusted with himself. He had failed his brother and Verena.

He bowed his head, shame riding him hard. He couldn’t meet her eyes. He was a proud turian and wasn’t one to show his failings. But this situation was far worse than most. He was about to take his brother’s mate, a mate that still mourned for him. He was about destroy what little happiness she had by forcing her to marry him. And what kind of marriage would it be? She would never conceive a child, and she would never love him. It was a nightmare and he didn’t know how to fix it.

He glanced at her crew and struggled with himself. He needed to fix this before it was too late. Unfortunately, the contracts were already signed. He sighed in defeat; there was nothing he could do. He had no honor. He had thrown it away by allowing the other two Council members to dictate what he should and shouldn’t do. He should have fought harder, but he knew why he hadn’t. He wanted Verena for himself and no other. He wanted her any way he could take her, even if that meant a forced marriage.

But there was a downside to his plan. He could see her rage and distrust and it was devastating to him. He had failed her.

“Hey, Shepard, too bad you can’t ditch the turian. Then we could get the hell out of here,” Joker said and chuckled at his own thought.

Sparatus heard what he said and an idea came to him. He debated for several moments before acting. What would be the worst thing that would happen? He could hold off the interested parties for a while. He was the Turian Councilor and his status gave him a lot of pull. He could still fix this, but he knew he might lose Shepard in the process. In the end he decided that it was for the best. Then maybe he could look at himself in the mirror once again. And maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t look at him with betrayal in her beautiful eyes.

“Shepard, a moment?” Sparatus ordered, motioning her over to the airlock where her team wouldn’t overhear.

“What?” she bit out. He had to laugh. She still had fire in her. She may be defeated, but she hadn’t given up. He wouldn’t have been shocked if she entered the Council chambers with him, armed to the teeth, and started shooting the place up just to get out of the union.

“Take the ship and leave. Don’t come back until you have Saren,” Sparatus said, trying his best to hide all emotions.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked and he could see the hope in her eyes. He wasn’t sure what she was hoping for, but he wasn’t going to lie to her; nor was he going to give all the truth.

“Nihlus asked me to protect you. I haven’t been doing that and because of that, I’ve been dishonoring him,” he explained. “Take the Normandy and hunt Saren down. I’ll deal with the Council and the human delegates.”

“Sparatus, if you go back there without me, they could charge you with treason. You’ll be removed from the Council. You can’t do this,” Shepard snapped, shaking her head.

“I’ll deal with whatever comes,” Sparatus said, his voice filled with certainty.

“Commander, we have a green light to disembark,” Joker stated. “What do you want me to do?”

“Get us the hell out of here,” Shepard ordered quickly, not allowing herself time to second guess her decision. She wondered how in the hell the light changed so quickly. Sparatus wasn’t at his office, so she didn’t think he could do it.

Sparatus’ eyes widened as the ship took off with him onboard. He knew if he didn’t stay behind all hell was going to break loose, but it was too late. He needed to contact the Council and come up with a plausible story; in other words, lie. He watched as the ship headed straight for the Mass Relay and within seconds the Citadel was out of sight.

“Shepard, you forgot one thing?” Sparatus bit out.

He almost smirked when she looked at him quizzically. He was about to snort his disdain at her when he saw realization dawn in her eyes. “Shit, you’re still on my ship,” she sneered disgustedly. This time he didn’t hide his smirk.

“I would set up a communication relay between me and the Council quickly, if I were you. We want to avoid having them hunt you down for kidnapping me,” Sparatus warned.

“Follow me,” Shepard grumbled, taking him to the coms room. “So, what are you going to say?” she asked, almost timidly. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know.

“Lie, obviously. I’ll put them off, stating that I was giving you time to prepare for the wedding since we placed this on you at an unfortunate time. In actuality, you will be continuing your hunt for Saren,” Sparatus told her.

“And we have to return you to the Citadel,” Shepard grumbled, her frustration at an all-time high.

“You return me to the Citadel and they will proceed with the wedding. Neither of us will have a choice then,” Sparatus reminded her.

“I’ll stay onboard for a while, and then we’ll make arrangements for my departure.”

“Fine, but the first Council ship we see, you’re boarding,” Shepard warned.

“That wouldn’t be prudent, either. I would suggest that you find me accommodations onboard this ship that are suitable for a Councilor,” Sparatus said and smirked as she sputtered.

“I’ll find you accommodations that are suitable to your status,” Shepard murmured, hiding a devious smile from the cocky Councilor. She exited the room before the ass could make any other demands.

She made her way down to the cargo area and glanced around. The room was deserted as her crew was still on the CIC deck. She wondered vaguely what they thought of the bullshit that was playing out around them. She searched through the area for a good place to put Sparatus. She had a grin on her face that she couldn’t wipe off. Her search took her to an isolated section of the hold, where she found an empty bed. Good enough, she thought. His Highness can park his scrawny ass down here.

She nearly jumped for joy now that one problem had been resolved and Sparatus would be housed far away from her. No wedding, Sparatus in the bowels of the ship, the Council off her back. The day was brightening quickly. All she needed was a coffee and some food and it would be perfect.

She walked onto CIC and found her ground crew still standing there, talking amongst themselves. “You are dismissed,” she told them with a grin.

“You seem to be in better spirits now, Shep,” Kaidan commented with a smile.

“How can I not be? No forced marriage and Sparatus will be sleeping in the bowels of the ship, well away from me. And I have my coffee. Everything is perfect once more,” Shepard almost purred.

“You really think that is going to last?” Kaidan asked with a raised brow.

“It’s my ship, my rules. He has to follow them,” she stated with a certainty she didn’t feel. However, there was no way she was going to let her crew know that.

Kaidan wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. He didn’t think for a minute that the Turian Councilor would allow himself to be placed in the bowels of the ship. He expected a shouting match tonight if not sooner. He wouldn’t be shocked when it happened.

He chuckled when Verena was out of sight. He heard a few others chuckle with him. “Does she realize that Sparatus will be in her cabin by night’s end?” Wrex asked and grinned.

“Then Shepard will move to the lower level,” Ashley retorted. “Or she’ll sleep in the pods.”

“I highly doubt Sparatus will allow Shepard to sleep elsewhere,” Garrus murmured thoughtfully. He glanced at Wrex, who nodded in agreement.

“What do you know, Turian?” Ashley spat belligerently.

“Obviously more than you do. I can smell things that humans can’t,” Garrus retorted, grinning smugly at the human. He saw her flinch and quickly wiped the smile off his face. He wasn’t used to being on a human ship and forgot that turian smiles scared some humans. They found the sharp teeth creepy.

Wrex walked up beside Garrus. He would be the only one who would understand what he was about to say. He would also be the only one who caught the smell coming off of both Sparatus and Shepard. “Things are about to get very interesting,” Wrex commented with a grin.

“Yes, they are. I wonder who we take commands from now?” Garrus murmured thoughtfully.

“There is only one person I take orders from and that’s Shepard. No one else has earned the right to order me around,” Wrex spat belligerently.

“Yeah, well, Sparatus is turian and he has higher standing than me, so that means I will be taking orders from the both of them. I’m hoping it doesn’t get me killed,” Garrus muttered with a scowl.

~oooooooooooooo~

Sparatus closed the connection and walked to an isolated corner, sighing in relief. It had been close, but he had been able to talk his way through it and the Council had agreed to his plan. Little did the other two Council members know that his story was a complete fabrication to give them more time to hunt Saren. His plan was to win Verena over before they had to marry. He hadn’t been able to cancel the wedding, just postpone it.

Sparatus walked out of the communications room and stopped on the CIC deck, not sure where to find Shepard. He moved to the closest human. “Where do I find the commander?” he asked.

“She’s in the mess hall, Councilor,” the man answered.

Sparatus made his way to the mess hall. He wasn’t surprised to find Shepard sitting with a quarian, a krogan and Vakarian; as well as a couple of humans.

Garrus glanced over the commander’s shoulder and saw the Turian Councilor walking their way. His eyes widened and he glanced at Shepard. He noticed her eyes narrowing and she looked over her shoulder. Garrus sat back in his chair and waited to see what was about to happen.

“Well, even with you in the same room, my good mood hasn’t crumbled,” she said jovially. Garrus’ brow ridge rose at Shepard’s taunting tone. He glanced at Wrex and watched a grin spread across his face. Garrus kept quiet as the Turian Councilor took a seat with them.

“I’ve spoken with the Council. Everything has been handled, for now,” Sparatus stated.

“Wow, what do you know? You might have your uses,” Shepard mocked.

Garrus bit back a gasp. Shepard was playing with fire right now, insulting the Councilor like that. His eyes widened in shock and confusion when the Turian Councilor laughed.

Sparatus bit off his rebuff to Shepard mocking words. ‘Might have uses’, huh? She would see soon enough that he could be very useful; just not in the way she was hoping. He didn’t have much time to work, so he needed to move fast to win Shepard to his side. He just hoped he could.

Sparatus watched as Vakarian and the krogan left the table. He could see the uncertainty in Vakarian’s eyes and hoped the turian had no interest in Shepard. “Where are your quarters?” Sparatus asked.

“Why?” Shepard asked, narrowing her eyes in warning.

“Why do you think, Verena?” Sparatus asked with a mocking smirk.

“You are not sleeping in my quarters,” Verena growled. She smiled slyly. “I’ve already found a place for you to sleep.”

“I’m sure you have,” Sparatus muttered, not fooled at all by her game. He could just imagine where she would put him. But there was no way he would allow it. “We will discuss your choices further in private.”

“There is nothing to discuss,” Verena bit out. Her good day was turning into an annoying one very quickly.

“That is where you are wrong. Are you forgetting what the Council has planned? We need to discuss this like rational people; though I know that might be difficult for one of your race,” Sparatus taunted with a sly smirk.

“You know, insulting my race isn’t helping your bid to have a rational discussion,” Verena snapped, her eyes narrowed in warning. She wanted to wipe the smug look off his face, but knew that was impossible. The turian would probably die with that smug look still plastered to his face.

“Will you quit being stubborn for once? The Council will force this marriage no matter what. We have time now to try and make something of it so that we aren’t killing ourselves,” Sparatus grumbled. He tried keeping his voice calm, but his frustration with her was making it nearly impossible.

“I never wanted this marriage. This is the Council’s doing,” she spat angrily. “Shit! Nihlus hasn’t been dead long and everyone expects me to just forget him and marry you? I can’t do that. I loved him!” What started out as a calm explanation turned into a yell when she made her final declaration.

Sparatus sighed. He rose to his feet and walked over to her. With saddened eyes that she couldn’t see he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know you still love him. I know you wish it was him and not me, but that’s not the way it is now,” he told her softly. He felt her shoulders droop and wondered if she was defeated. The commander he knew was never defeated, but he could be wrong.

Shepard heard the torment in his voice and felt a twinge in her chest. It hurt that she was the cause of that pain. She hated hearing this turian with that sound in his voice. He was too confident, too sure of himself to have pain in his voice because of her. But, nevertheless, it was there.

Slowly she rose to her feet. She knew there had to be honesty between then now. Yes, she’d slept with him once and it had been the best she’d ever had. She hated that, hated it with a passion; because it wasn’t Nihlus. Sparatus had touched something deep within her and that scared her.

Since the moment she’d met Sparatus they’d hated each other, and then they’d had sex. Now she dreamed of him and remembered his touches. And they want her to marry him. That reason alone was enough to make her say no.

“Fine. We’ll use this time to see if we can make a marriage work. But there is no way in hell you are going to be sleeping in my bed with me,” she snarled coldly. There! She’d done all she could. Now she would have to wait for five years before she would be single once more. It was a very depressing thought.

“I will have to share your bed sooner or later,” Sparatus reminded her.

“You mentioned once that they would want proof. How will they get that proof?” she asked, trying to hide her nervousness.

“Marking scents and mating scents. Each race gives them off. Turians and salarians can smell them, so Valern will know if we’ve been together,” Sparatus told her.

“Yeah, so what? Are we supposed to see him as soon as we’ve fucked?” she asked incredulously.

Her eyes narrowed as Sparatus chuckled. “No, the marking scent will last for many weeks; sometimes even longer, depending on the strength of the turian. It’s usual for a turian to mark his mate, to warn off other would-be suitors. The more dominant the turian, the stronger his marking scent. When Nihlus marked you, every turian knew about it as soon as they were near you,” he murmured.

“And I assume we have to fuck for you to release this scent?” Verena sneered.

“Crudely put, but yes. I won’t be able to do it unless we’ve been intimate,” Sparatus answered, glaring at her.

“Damn, figured you would say that,” Verena mumbled, unable to meet his eyes. Desire rushed through her at the thought of having him deep within her again.

Sparatus kept his features neutral when the heady scent of Verena’s desire hit him with full force. He now knew for certain that she wanted him, but he wasn’t sure what was holding her back. His gut told him that it wasn’t simply his brother’s ghost; but something else, entirely. He planned on getting to the bottom of it and soon. He watched her intently, hiding a smirk when he saw her cheeks flush. Her eyes turned dusky green, yet she still wouldn’t look directly at him.

He decided to take a chance and test how far she would allow him to go. He moved in closer, invading her space. He waited for a hiss of annoyance or a glare, but received neither. Without thought or hesitation, he tilted her face so she met his eyes. He leaned closer, his mandibles fluttering against her skin as he took a deep scent of her. He could already feel his plates shifting and still he showed no signs of what he was feeling. He flicked his tongue out, tasting her lips. Desire clung to her skin like a cloak.

“If you want to fuck me, you need to know that there will be no emotions between us, Sparatus,” Verena whispered softly. She wasn’t sure if he heard. She couldn’t show emotions, not with this turian. He made her feel too much. Her heart was pounding and she was already soaked; yet he hadn’t done anything. She could feel her skin warm to his touch and tingle where his claw idly grazed. Then there was the yearning to be with him. She knew she needed to bury that desire deep inside and never set it free. She couldn’t, not ever.

Sparatus hesitated for a moment. Could he be with her without showing emotion? Did he even want to try? If he wanted to be with her, he had to do it. With a torturous groan he moved to the bend of her shoulder and scraped his teeth lightly against her skin. He felt her shiver and chuckled lightly. He let out a puff of breath against her skin, his claws idly tracing her back, beneath her shirt. He growled when she moaned against her shoulder. Yes, he could hide his emotions for a time. He swore to himself that before he was done, she would be the one who wouldn’t be able to hide her feelings.

Without another word he stepped back, smirking when he heard her groan in frustration.

Verena glared at Sparatus. She couldn’t believe she’d actually thought of bedding him. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, given her recent dreams. She didn’t know what game he was playing, but it scared her. The look in his eyes put her on alert. She knew he had something planned, but couldn’t guess at his true motives. Her best plan of action would be to watch him carefully and keep him at arm’s length emotionally. There was no way in hell she was going to give him anything more than a few good romps in bed.


	10. Chapter 10

Shepard woke earlier than she’d planned. She hadn’t been able to relax enough to get a good night’s sleep. She’d won part of the argument with regards to the Turian Councilor’s sleeping arrangements. Sparatus would be allowed to sleep in her room, on the floor. She would maintain possession of the bed. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to send him to the bowels of the ship. He was here in her room, to her misfortune. She prayed silently to any deity listening that she hadn’t spoken aloud during the night; particularly given the dreams that plagued her sleep.

She stretched and her arm hit something hard that wasn’t supposed to be there. Slowly she turned her head and spotted him in her bed; not on the floor. “You’re finally awake,” he purred. She swallowed thickly, certain lower areas of her body tightening at the sound of his voice.

“What are you doing in my bed?” she growled.

Uneasiness passed over her when he grinned. “When you called my name, I took it as an invitation. Don’t tell me you were sleeping,” he murmured, his voice deepening. Shepard could feel her face begin to burn as she stared at him. She didn’t know how to extricate herself from this situation without looking like a fool. She was fairly certain she’d already acted the fool in front of him on several occasions, so what difference would one more time make?

He caught her before she could move. She nearly groaned in pleasure and frustration. She met his eyes and saw the amusement shining there, as well as a challenging look. “Now why would you be calling my name while you slept?” he purred the question as his hands travelled lower on her body. She knew she should struggle away from him, but she couldn’t. His eyes mesmerized her.

“None of your damn business,” she bit out breathlessly.

Her toes curled as she felt the vibrations of his chuckle all through her body. “You don’t need to tell me,” he whispered, his voice growing deeper as he rolled on top of her. She gasped as she felt his weight press into her body. She thought for sure he would stay in that position, but he didn’t. He pressed his face close to her skin, taking his her scent. “I can smell your desire for me. I can taste it on your skin like a rich wine,” he whispered against her skin. She groaned, unable to hide the noise.

Sparatus purred when he heard her reaction. His tongue snaked out and tasted her skin, enjoying the movement as she writhed beneath him. Sparatus grinned and then backed off. “But you have work to do,” he stated, rising to his feet. He grinned at the irritated look she gave him.

“You are going to pay for that,” she hissed as she marched to the shower.

Sparatus grinned and followed behind her, placing his hand on the door before it closed. He chuckled at the furious look on her face and leaned toward the crook of her neck, taking a final scent. “You can make me pay any time you’d like. I even have a few ideas to help you out,” he purred against her skin. He hid his triumphant smile when he saw her shiver and stifle a moan.

Without another word he walked back over to the bed and scowled at his clothes. He had nothing to change into and he was pretty sure that Vakarian wouldn’t have anything that fit him. He was starting to regret being caught on this ship. He didn’t know what he was going to do without personal items for spirits only knew how long. The only conclusion he could come up with was to try and win Shepard over as quickly as possible.

~oooooooooooo~

Shepard travelled through the ship’s hallways and stopped in the room most recently occupied by Nihlus. Inside, she found a crate that contained his personal items. She remembered that she was supposed to move it to her house, but never had. After his death, she’d never returned to this room.

She sighed and lifted the crate, carrying it back to her room. Sparatus needed it now more than Nihlus and she knew that Nihlus would have wanted him to use it. She sighed, shaking her head. She really didn’t want to see him after the incident in her bedroom.

It annoyed her that she reacted to him when she discovered him in her bed. The emotions he brought forth in her mind were ones that she didn’t want to think about.

With a scowl plastered on her face she walked to her office, looking for Sparatus. She was surprised to find him in the mess hall, instead. Her relief was instantaneous. She walked quickly into her room and was almost tempted to lock it so he couldn’t enter.  
She placed the crate on the bed and began sorting through it. Nihlus’ spare armor was there, as well as two fresh sets of clothes. Her hand hesitated as she came across a holo picture of herself, sleeping. She could feel the sob building, but there was no way she would let it loose.

She didn’t know how long she stared at the picture. She didn’t even know he had taken one of her. She bowed her head, trying to control the emotion that threatened to override her.

Sparatus walked into Verena’s room. He stopped when he saw her standing beside the bed with her head bowed. Alarm caught him for a moment before he remembered that humans were an emotional species. He made his way toward her, grinning. He wondered what biting words she would come up when she saw him.

The grin fell from his face when he saw the bin and the picture she held in her hands. He didn’t need to be told what it showed; he had seen that picture a few times. She was thinking about Nihlus. It didn’t anger him, but he worried for her. He placed a hand lightly on her shoulder, not sure what to expect. He actually expected her to shout and send him away.

“You can wear Nihlus’ things while you’re here,” she murmured as she set the picture down.

“It’s alright to mourn him,” Sparatus stated.

“I have, but the picture caught me by surprise. I never knew about it,” she muttered with a shake of her head. “Anyway, I have work to do, so you can make yourself scarce.”

Sparatus watched as she went to her desk and grabbed at her datapads blindly. He lifted the clothes out of the crate and gave them a hesitant sniff. As he expected, his brother never wore them. They were still new. Nihlus always bought new clothes before a mission, while his old clothes would disappear. He never questioned it, but now he was thankful for it. He wasn’t sure if he could wear his brother’s clothes if his scent still clung to them.

He glanced at Verena and decided to see how focused she really was on her work. With a grin he slowly slipped out of his clothes. His grin widened when he noticed her stiffen as he removed his shirt. He bit off a chuckle when his shirt hit the floor and her cheeks flushed.

Verena tried her hardest not to watch him. Sparatus was well built for a politician. She forced herself not to look and ignore the turian, but it was proving harder than she imagined; especially when she heard his clothing hit the floor. She glanced up and could have slapped herself for her lack of self-control when it came to this turian.

She swallowed thickly, her eyes travelling over his body. He stood there proudly, a lustful glint in his eyes. Her eyes travelled lower and she noticed that he wasn’t hidden from view. His member was standing as proud as the rest of him. She bowed her head and forced herself not to look at him again. Unfortunately, the sight of him was now burned into her brain. The vision had her completely wet and ready for him.

She caught him sniffing the air and saw a knowing look enter his eyes. She snapped her gaze to the datapad in front of her and saw nothing but a very delectable, naked turian. She should be slapped for thinking of Sparatus that way. She couldn’t believe he would pull a stunt like this…. Well, if she was being honest, she could believe it and knew he was enjoying every moment of it.

She heard his footsteps come closer and didn’t budge. There was no way in hell she would look at him again. He was very close, the heat of his body just above her. The lust she felt from earlier in the day came roaring back. Her body stiffened in pleasure before going limp as he nipped her shoulder. Before she could turn and retaliate he was already gone, heading to the shower.

She heard the water and was so very tempted to walk in there and end the madness he was causing. If she was smart, she would just shove him out of the airlock and be done with it. But she couldn’t figure out how to explain a missing Turian Councilor to his associates. So that option was out. She knew if this kept up she would lose her sanity. The next thing she knew, he would be tied to her bed.

A grin slowly split her face at that thought… Sparatus tied to her bed.

She shook her head, silently berating herself for her train of thought. She shouldn’t be lusting after him. Her focus should be on Saren, not on the wet turian in her shower.

 _Shit, if this keeps up, he will drive me insane. If that happens, I’ll make sure to take him down with me,_ she promised herself.

She rose to her feet and was preparing to make an escape when she heard the shower cut off. She was too late. Sparatus stepped out of the small room, not bothering to use a towel. “Running are we, Verena?” Sparatus asked silkily. “I never took you for a runner.”

She growled low from the insult and her eyes narrowed as she stalked over to him. Her body vibrated with anger and lust as she clenched her fists at her side. She didn’t hesitate when she swung at him. Her eyes widened in shock when he easily dodged her attack. She swung out again and missed once more. She was about to lunge at him, but he caught her hands and pinned them behind her back.

He completely took her by surprise with his response. She thought he might retaliate, but instead he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder. His tongue snaked out and he tasted her skin as he purred.

She didn’t struggle; she no longer had the strength. Her body was limp in his firm hold as he nipped at her skin. She felt his teeth set against her neck and waited for him to bite down. Her body stilled, becoming even wetter when he applied a bit more pressure to her skin without breaking through it.

Sparatus so wanted to mark her. The NEED to mark her was so strong that he had to fight the urge to continue. He knew she wasn’t ready for that and she was leaving for a mission very soon. She shouldn’t be injured. Finally, he didn’t want to find out what she would do to him afterward. At the moment her body was begging him to do it, but he was certain that her mind wouldn’t agree.

He allowed his free hand to travel over her body, feeling the muscles beneath her clothes quiver at his touch. He rumbled his delight against her soft skin. He knew that she desired him, but he still needed to know if it could be more before he continued.

He backed off with regret. The passion burning bright in her eyes almost destroyed his control. He wanted her to truly want him, not just lust after him. He wanted emotions from her. He had thought he could bed her without them, but now he wasn’t sure. He knew nothing about human courtship rituals, but he was fairly sure that he wasn’t going to like it. He decided that he needed to approach this differently. He already knew that he could have her and she wouldn’t fight him. That was the first step. Now it was time to win her over. It appeared that he would soon be learning the intricacies of human courtship.

~00000000000000~

Sparatus scowled as he stared at the extranet. There were too many contradictions in the information he’d found thus far. It appeared that no one could agree on how to make a female happy. One said chocolates, while another said that some females don’t like chocolates. There was also a lot of information about a particular time of month. He didn’t know what the hell that was. He tried looking for more details and nothing popped up for ‘time of the month’.

He was slowly going insane. If he was on the Citadel he would have his assistant do this, but he wasn’t on the Citadel. His eyes widened and he smiled deviously. Quickly he opened a communications connection to his assistant. He wasn’t surprised when the man answered right away.

“Sir, I heard about what happened. Do you need me to set up transportation for you?” his assistant asked.

“No. I need you to find some information for me without anyone being the wiser,” Sparatus stated with a grin. He implicitly trusted his assistant. The man knew all his dirty little secrets, even the one about his true feelings for Shepard. He’d known his assistant for years. Before he’d became a Councilor, they had been through hell and back together.

“What do you need?” Janix asked.

“Information on human courtship,” Sparatus told him.

“So you are marrying Shepard,” Janix said with a grin. “I’ll have the information for you in a few days, sir.”

“Good. Now I want an update,” Sparatus ordered.

“Since you left, the Salarian and Asari Councilors have calmed down after taking care of the press. All your appointments have been placed on hold. The Primarch isn’t too pleased. The information you had requested finally arrived. Do you wish me to send it to your personal extranet account?” Janix asked.

“Yes. I also need you to see what personal information you can find on Shepard. Her likes, dislikes, and anything else you think may be relevant,” Sparatus stated before cutting communications. Now that he’d assigned the tedious tasks to Janix, he could turn his focus to more important things.

He needed to formulate a plan for dealing with Verena that would guarantee his success.

~oooooooooooooo~

Verena stayed on the CIC deck. It was the only place that she could get any work done. Her body had finally calmed down after Sparatus’ seduction. She wished he would have finished what he started. Then she could have wiped him from her mind for the rest of the day. Instead her thoughts kept straying to the fucking turian.

She walked over to Joker and stood behind him. She knew it annoyed him and it would give her something else to focus on.

“Something you need, Commander?” Joker asked, swiveling in his chair.

“When will we reach Novaria?” she asked.

“We’ll be there by morning,” he answered. “So when are you airlocking the turian?”

“Which one?” she asked with an amused expression.

“The one everyone saw exiting your quarters this morning,” he said with a shit-eating grin.

“Trust me, I’ve thought about it,” she answered, grinning as she walked away.

She scowled as her stomach growled, reminding her that she had yet to eat. She really didn’t want to return to that deck, but it looked like she didn’t have a choice. With a drawn out, annoyed sigh she boarded the elevator.

As she expected, Sparatus was serving himself some food. She was surprised to see that he had a second plate with him. She walked over to grab her own food. She wasn’t going to count on the fact that the other plate was for her. She hoped to any god listening that it wasn’t. If it was, then she knew what that meant….

“Go take a seat. I’ll bring your plate in a moment,” Sparatus ordered absently as he dished up more food. He’d decided that he couldn’t wait for Janix’s information. He needed to start courting Shepard soon, and the best way he could think of was to treat her as a mate. He wondered if she would realize what he was doing. He had to imagine that she did. She had been with Nihlus for a while and he had treated her like a turian.

He took a seat beside her, placing the plate in front of her. He noticed the grin on the krogan’s face and ignored it. The shocked look on Vakarian’s face told him that he’d figured out what was going on. He hoped the younger turian kept his opinions to himself.  
He watched out of the corner of his eyes as she ate. He had to hide his grin; she was eating as if there was a famine coming. He had visited Nihlus when he was buying groceries over the extranet and had been surprised at how much he purchased. That was when he found out that Verena needed to eat a lot because she was a biotic. He hoped that he gave her enough. He knew he needed to observe her over the next few days and learn everything about her needs and desires.

~oooooooooooo~

Verena lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Sparatus was somewhere on the ship, but she wasn’t sure where. Nor should she care, she kept telling herself. Unfortunately, her mind didn’t agree. It was late and he still hadn’t entered her room.

With an aggravated sigh she kicked off her blankets and walked out of her room, dressed in a tank top and shorts.

She was surprised when she didn’t find him in the mess hall or the CIC deck. She took a quick peek at the sleeping pods, but he wasn’t there, either. She took the elevator down to the garage and found Garrus working on the Mako. She walked over to him. “Why are you still up?” she asked with her hands on her hips.

“The Turian Councilor snores too loudly,” he hissed. He had begun drifting off when the Turian Councilor had taken a bed near him. Once the snoring began, he hadn’t been able to relax.

“He’s sleeping down here?” she asked, astonished.

“Yes,” Garrus huffed and turned back to the Mako.

Verena took a good look at the turian and knew that he was tired. She was going to take him with her on the mission in the morning, but he would be useless to her in his current condition. With a sigh and a shake of her head she walked toward the sleeping cots. Wrex was sitting on his cot, glaring at Sparatus. Tali was sitting against the wall next to her bed with her head in her hands. Sparatus was out like a light, completely unaware of the problems that he was causing. “You guys owe me for this,” she bit out, scowling at them.  
She didn’t notice Wrex’s grin and Wrex was glad of that. He glanced over Shepard’s shoulder to find Garrus looking at her hopefully as he entered the room.

Verena stood beside Sparatus’ bed and lightly touched him on the shoulder. As she expected he jerked awake, very alert. “You’re keeping everyone awake and I need two of these people for the mission tomorrow,” she stated.

“Then what do you suggest?” Sparatus asked mockingly.

“You could jump out of the airlock,” Verena answered with a shrug.

“That is not happening,” he growled, shaking his head at her.

“Pity. It would have been amusing to watch as you floated away in space. Though I am still trying to come up with a good enough lie for the other two Councilors,” she muttered with a scowl.

“Yes, I am sure you are,” Sparatus said with amusement.

“So why don’t you get your scrawny ass out of here so they can sleep,” Verena ordered, using the ‘commander’s voice’ that usually sent people running.

Sparatus stared at her for a moment before rising to his feet and walking toward her. He grinned when he scented her. He knew no one had gone and complained to her. She’d come looking for him on her own. That was progress. He noticed her eyes dilating as he neared and grinned smugly. Without a word he walked by her and headed for the elevator.

Verena bowed her head when Sparatus left, her body still vibrating with desire. If she could growl like a turian, she knew that would be. Her lethal gaze turned to the three others in the room. “Remember that you owe me big time for this,” she growled, turning to storm out of the room.

“I think, Shepard, that you owe us for not killing him outright,” Wrex grumbled to her back. She whipped around and faced the krogan. He stilled.

“Want to repeat that?” she asked with an icy calm that made everyone in the room still.

“The turian and I can smell your lust, human. It so thick in the air that it’s all we can smell. Why don’t you mate with him and be done with it?” Wrex growled.

“If I could, I would, but the prick isn’t cooperating,” she bit out.

“So you admit that you lust after him?” Wrex murmured with a smug smile.

“Of course. I fucked him, didn’t I?” she asked mockingly before walking away.

“Humans are frustrating,” Wrex muttered before lying back down.

“I agree with that,” Garrus murmured, climbing back in his own bed.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus sat in the quiet mess hall. He was tired, but he would wait to get his sleep until after Verena left for her mission. He had come to the conclusion that he wouldn’t share a bed with her. Not until she admitted that she had feelings for him. The next few weeks were going to be hell for him, but he had come to the decision that he wanted a real relationship and he wouldn’t settle for anything less.

He glanced up when Verena’s scent came to him. “Why aren’t you going back to sleep?” she asked tiredly. He could see the fatigue in her eyes and wondered if she had slept at all yet. Her condition only added fuel to his newfound cause.

“You should get some sleep. I’m going to look over some work,” he told her as he nodded to the datapad on the table. He withheld his grin as her eyes narrowed.

“Whatever. Just don’t keep my crew up,” she muttered before heading to her room.

Sparatus stared at the information in front of him without actually seeing it. His thoughts were solely on the human in the next room. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. It bothered him that he had fallen for a human, but he was slowly accepting it. Verena wasn’t like any other human he’d ever met. She intrigued him. She didn’t back down, and she gave as good as she got. She was a fighter with a sharp mind to match. She was everything he would look for in a turian wife. The irony was that he had found it in a human - the one race he hated. Now, just to get the woman he wanted, he was stuck on a ship surrounded by humans. He wasn’t sure if he should be amused at this or angry that he was placed in this position.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Verena tossed fitfully in her sleep. Sparatus’ scent lingered in her bed and she found herself moving closer to that scent. When she realized what she was doing she would hit the pillow and turn her back on his scent. She didn’t understand why he was affecting her so. It bothered her greatly.

She didn’t know how long it took before she fell into a deep sleep.

_Claws lightly trailed down her skin._

_Heated breath skimmed across her skin and a hot, hard body pressed against her back. Deep rumbling purrs vibrated through her body, making her shiver with anticipation. Sharp teeth scraped across her skin as she squirmed closer to her lover._

_The arm that had been trailing across her skin wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, his face buried in her hair. She felt him nudge against her and slip in with ease. Pleasure she had never felt before soared through her. They moved as one, her hips matching his thrust for thrust. His claws dug into her skin while his teeth held her firmly in place._

_They both reached their peak…._

_“I love you, mate,” he whispered against her skin._

_She turned, expecting to see Nihlus. But this body wasn’t…_

_Sparatus stared back at her. His face was mere centimeters away, and she saw the truth of his words in his eyes._

_She opened her mouth to say…._

Shepard jerked awake, her alarm buzzing beside her. Her skin was flushed; she felt sated, relaxed and knew that she had truly found release in her sleep. She stared at the ceiling, not sure what to make of that particular dream. She knew she had no choice but to marry Sparatus, but to have emotions for him? To care for him? That she didn’t want. He was good in bed, and that should be good enough as far as she was concerned.

Her gaze snapped to the door as it opened. Her eyes widened as she stared at the turian from her dreams walking toward her with a plate of food and a cup of coffee.

She was in trouble….


	11. Chapter 11

Sparatus fidgeted in his chair. Verena had been gone close to eight hours. He was scared. There was no way he would allow anyone else on this ship to know it, however. The mission shouldn’t be taking this long. It should have been a quick trip to the research center to determine the location of the asari matriarch.

He scowled when he glanced at the quarian sitting at the table across from him. Several times he had heard her snicker as she watched him. He was positive that it was because of him. If it kept up, Shepard would be down one crew member before she returned.

He was also bothered by the fact that Vakarian was down on that planet with her. He HATED that another turian was protecting her. If anything happened to her while Vakarian was at her side, he would hold the younger turian solely responsible.

He moved to Verena’s office and checked his messages to get away from the quarian. He was glad that his assistant sent him the files he’d requested. It would give him something to do other than sit around and contemplate the best place to slice open the quarian’s suit.

He hated not having anything to do. It was driving him insane. He needed to work, to do something to get his mind off Verena. As if such a thing was even possible. It didn’t matter how much he tried, there was no way he would ever get that woman out of his mind.  
He stared down at the information and scowled. The datapad contained information of the next planet Verena was scheduled to visit, Feros. It wasn’t as informative as he thought it would be. When the colony there went silent, he had sent some people to investigate. They had never reported back. He sighed, wishing for a more detailed response. This told him nothing.

He glanced at the time and his scowl grew fiercer. It was now close to nine hours. Worry started eating at him once more. It worried him that he didn’t know what was going on. He thought about asking the pilot what was happening as he seemed to know everything that happened during missions. But he couldn’t bring himself to speak with the human, even if it gave him information on Verena.

With a growl of frustration, he opened the other message sent by his assistant. It was about Verena. He grinned as he turned his full attention to that email. Janix had discovered out that Verena loved coffee and chocolate. He could have told him about the coffee - the female drank it constantly and was moody when someone finished a pot without making more. He had noticed the amount of coffee stored on the ship and knew it would last a normal crew six months or more. He didn’t think that was the case here; she would be lucky if it lasted three months.

Now he wondered where he could get chocolate. He didn’t think Noveria had any as they mainly catered to asari. He shook his head and continued reading. It seemed that Verena didn’t have many things she did to relax. From the looks of it, she was dedicated to her work. So he had no help there.

He hesitated as an idea started forming in his mind. A grin spread across his lips as he planned the steps out. He needed to get in touch with the Spectre’s acquisitions officer and see if the salarians had sent the new items he’d requested.

~oooooooooooooo~

Verena sighed when she boarded the Normandy. She wanted to leave this planet and never return. Her gaze turned to the Liara. She felt for the woman. Liara had just watched her mother die, and that was something that no person should ever be forced to see.

She noticed that Liara’s shoulders were hunched as she walked away. Verena thought about following her, but decided to give the asari time. If she were in the scientist’s position, she wouldn’t want to be bothered until she had some time to process the events of the day alone.

She glanced at Garrus. “Think you can have the Mako ready for the next mission?” she asked with a grin.

“Shepard, I’m not a miracle worker,” Garrus grumbled, glaring at her. “You should never be allowed to drive.”

“Come on. It wasn’t that bad,” she chuckled.

Garrus scowled at her for a moment. “Not that bad? I have a feeling Liara would agree with me. I’m driving from now on.”

“In your dreams, maybe,” she scoffed before heading to the mess hall. She needed food desperately and hoped Sparatus wouldn’t be around anywhere.

“How long is the Turian Councilor going to be onboard?” Garrus asked, trying to hide his concern.

“Why?” Verena asked.

“Just curious,” Garrus answered quickly - too quickly, he thought angrily to himself. He didn’t know how to extricate himself from this particular mess.

“Nice try. Start talking, Vakarian,” Verena ordered sharply, her eyes turning hard.

Garrus sighed. He didn’t want to have this discussion with her, but he’d been bothered ever since the other turian had arrived on the ship. “When I boarded the Normandy you were my commanding officer, but with the Turian Councilor here…” he trailed off, shaking his head hopelessly.

Verena moved over to him. She had suspected that Sparatus’ arrival had placed Garrus in a difficult position. “My orders are the only ones you follow and I will make sure Sparatus knows this,” she told him sternly. Garrus cringed inside; the last thing he wanted was for her to confront Sparatus about his problems. He didn’t know how to avoid the fallout from this. If it continued he would have a hard time being assigned anywhere else because of his complaints. He knew he’d made a bad mistake mentioning anything.

~oooooooooooooo~

Verena walked into the mess hall. Now she had no choice but to talk with Sparatus. She understood Garrus’ turmoil and knew why he didn’t want to say a word.

She groaned when she spotted Sparatus seated at one of the tables. The rest of the ground crew was already grabbing supper. “You couldn’t do me the favor of jumping out of the airlock while I was gone,” she muttered.

“That would have been pointless. I would have simply landed on Noveria,” Sparatus pointed out with amusement.

“I’m sure Joker would have been more than willing to pull away from the spaceport to accommodate you,” she retaliated with a smirk.

“I’m sure he would have been thrilled,” Sparatus muttered with a chuckle.

“Well since you decided to annoy me, we are laying down some basic ground rules,” she stated with her arms folded across her chest.

Her eyes narrowed in warning as his grin grew.

“And what might those be?” Sparatus purred with a devious look.

“I’m the only one who gives orders on this ship,” she stated coldly and smirked as the turian looked at her in shock. She watched as his expression changed to the Turian Councilor, not the Sparatus that she had come to know.

“Really?” Sparatus drawled and leaned back in his chair.

“Yes. Having more than one commanding officer onboard is too confusing for the crew. So I am telling you - I don’t give a fuck that you are a Councilor. My word is law and you don’t give orders here,” she snapped harshly.

Sparatus looked at her thoughtfully and suddenly realized that this is exactly why she was the commander. She stood before him, her body and eyes showing her authority. He could see that she would never back down from him. He had to admire her for looking out for her crew and, though he hated agreeing with her, she was right. His presence on this ship could cause countless problems. He hated to admit it, but she had every right to lay down this rule.

“Fine,” he agreed and grinned as she looked at him in shock. He noticed a bit of disappointment in her eyes, as well. “Anything else, Commander?” he asked.

“No. Nothing else. The only other problem is that I have to report to the Council once I file my report. How do I handle you?” she asked.

“Once you’re done with your report hand it over to me and I’ll look it over. Then we will both speak to the Council,” Sparatus stated with a dismissive nod of his head. He smirked as he watched Shepard scowl at him and then stalked toward her office.

He glanced around the room to see the crew looking amused at the argument. He didn’t mind as long as they kept their opinions to themselves. His eyes narrowed as Vakarian walked toward him. “You might want to know that she hasn’t eaten all day,” the younger turian stated before walking off. Sparatus grinned and then chuckled. He wondered if he could get the help of her team to make her see the light. It was something to think about and would get him off the ship faster.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Verena focused on the report she was recording. She wondered what the council would think of her refusal to kill the rachni queen. She knew it wasn’t going to go over well, but she wasn’t about to wipe out a species just because she hadn’t conferred with them first.  
Her door opened and she turned in her seat. Her eyes widened when she saw Sparatus walk in with a plate in his hands. “Sparatus, you can’t keep giving me food,” she muttered as she looked at the dish that she so badly needed.

“You need to eat,” he stated, leaning over her shoulder and placing the food in front of her. With a grin that she couldn’t see he nuzzled her neck before drawing back. He heard her breath hitch and she shivered. He backed off and waited for the biting words to come; smiling when none did. He was pretty sure he was winning - at least he hoped he was.

When Sparatus backed away, Verena hit the button to send the report to the Council. She quickly made a copy on a nearby datapad and passed it over to Sparatus. “I just sent the Council their copy,” she told him as she dug into the food he’d brought her.

~oooooooooooooo~

Everyone glanced at the door as it closed behind the Turian Councilor. “So how do we get him off of the ship?” Kaidan asked. He didn’t like the idea of having such a high ranking turian onboard. He also hated seeing Shepard so out of sorts and distracted. She wasn’t behaving like the woman he knew.

“There is only one way for that to happen,” Wrex muttered.

“Oh? And what is that?” Kaidan asked.

“Shepard needs to admit that she has feelings for the Councilor and he needs to win her over,” Garrus answered when Wrex didn’t.

“How do you know she has feelings for the Councilor?” Kaidan asked with narrowed eyes.

“I know she lusts after him. I can smell it. Also, when the Councilor wasn’t in her room last night she went looking for him,” Garrus stated pointedly. He watched as Kaidan’s eyes widened. It seemed the fact that Shepard went searching out for the Councilor was a universal sign for all races.

“Ok, so how do we move this along quicker?” Kaidan asked.

Garrus shook his head. He didn’t have a clue. He knew nothing of human courtship so he was at a loss. As he glanced around the table, he realized that his fellow crew members knew no more than he did.

“Are you sure Shepard has feelings for the Councilor?” Tali asked with a shake of her head. She couldn’t believe they were having this discussion.

“Yes,” both Garrus and Wrex answered at the same time.

“Well, we can’t interfere. Shepard won’t like that,” Tali stated with a shiver. She had seen the human fight and didn’t want to make her angry.

Kaidan lifted his head as an idea came to him. A grin slowly split his face as the details fell into place. He turned his attention to the others at the table and began telling them of his plan.

~oooooooooooooo~

On the Citadel

Valern opened Commander Shepard’s most recent report. He wondered if Sparatus was making any headway. He certainly hoped so. He groaned as his door opened and he was surprised to see Tevos standing there.

“Something I can do for you?” he asked absently as he listened to the first part of the report.

“You’ll find this report very interesting,” Tevos murmured with a grin.

Valern hit pause and turned his attention to the asari, “Something I should know?” he asked curiously.

“Watch it and you’ll find out,” she answered with a chuckle.

He returned to the report. The beginning was nothing unusual, though he didn’t like the fact that Shepard made such an important decision without discussing it with them first. Now they might well have another war with the rachni in the future.

He scowled and shook his head. He saw nothing that would cause Tevos to smile the way she did. He was about to stop the recording, but hesitated when he heard a sound behind the commander. His eyes narrowed when he saw Sparatus standing right behind her. A grin split his face when he watched Sparatus place a plate of food in front of the commander and then nuzzle her neck. It looked like Sparatus was making progress. He thought about ordering them back to the Citadel, but he noticed the look on Shepard’s face. It seemed that the Councilor still needed a bit more time.

“Interesting,” he murmured. “Do you think this is enough for us to proceed with the rest of our plans?”

“I’ll contact the human government and let them know that we will start building the new ship,” Tevos stated before leaving. “We should also have them return to the Citadel.”

“No, not yet,” Valern murmured and turned back to his work without another word.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus walked out of the room, looking over the datapad that Shepard had given him. He grinned; it seemed the commander had forgotten to press ‘pause’ while he was in the room. He wondered what the other two Councilors thought when they saw it. He wouldn’t be surprised if they ordered her to head back to the Citadel immediately, but he hoped they would refrain for just a little longer.

He glanced over his shoulder when Verena’s door opened. He was running out of time, and he needed to find a way to break through Shepard’s personal shield. So far nothing was happening.

“Hey, Commander, when we stop at the Citadel I really think we should hire a masseuse,” Kaidan said with a grin as he watched her walk over to them.

“I know I am going to regret asking, but why in the hell should I hire one?” Verena asked with a shake of her head. She ignored the turian that was standing right behind her.

“First of all, it would help with my migraines. Secondly, it would place Joker in a really good mood. Finally, it would really help the post-battle sore muscles that you always get,” Kaidan said logically. He had a hard time hiding his grin as he watched the Councilor perk up. He hoped the turian would be able to figure out the rest on his own.

“He’s right, Commander. It would definitely brighten my mood,” Joker interjected through the com.

“I bet,” Shepard grumbled. “Forget it. This is a war ship, and we aren’t getting a masseuse.”

“You can’t tell me you don’t get sore from all the bullets that hit your shields,” Kaidan scoffed.

Verena shook her head, chuckling. “Forget it. We are not getting a masseuse,” she muttered.

“Fine,” Kaidan sighed and gave her a mock dirty look.

Sparatus listened to the interaction, an idea coming to him. He would have to look up information on this masseuse when Verena wasn’t around.

“What is a masseuse, for those of us who aren’t human,” Garrus grumbled with a scowl.

“A masseuse is someone who gives massages. They rub down your sore muscles. It’s very relaxing,” Shepard explained with a roll of her eyes.

Sparatus’ eyes narrowed. The thought of someone else touching Verena infuriated him. He wanted to run his claws through the person until they begged for mercy. The only mercy that person would find would be death at his hand.

Garrus stiffened when Sparatus’ marking scent came to him. He noticed Wrex hesitate and fight off a grin. He wondered if the humans smelled the strong odor. From the looks of it, they didn’t. He had to admit that Alenko had a good idea. He wondered if it would work.

~oooooooooooooo~

Verena stood next to Sparatus, talking with the other two Councilors. She was not happy. All three stated that she should have spoken to them before releasing the rachni queen. Other than that, the meeting went smoothly. She was surprised that Sparatus didn’t stay to talk with her more about what happened on the planet. She shouldn’t have been surprised, however. He was a Councilor first and what happened on Noveria was beneath him.

With an annoyed shake of her head she went to her office. There was much to do and many smaller missions to attend to. Her plan was to do them now and then head to the Citadel. It wouldn’t be long before they needed supplies. She hadn’t planned for Sparatus’ arrival, so the stores of alien provisions were going faster than those of the human crew.

She was happy to discover that she had her room all to herself. She just hoped that Sparatus was leaving her crew alone. None of them needed a Councilor breathing down their necks.

She sent Pallin a message telling him of her plans. She hoped the turian could get the supplies prepared and sent to her. She really wanted to avoid returning to the Citadel for as long as she could.

“Shepard, you have a call coming in,” Pressly stated over the com.

“I’ll take it in here,” she replied. Her eyes widened in surprised when Pallin appeared on the screen.

“Do you have a plan on how I am supposed to get these supplies out to you?” Pallin asked with a raised brow ridge. He was shocked that Shepard would make an unusual request like this, though he knew Sparatus’ presence on the ship changed many things. He had already been informed that once Shepard landed on the Citadel she was to marry the Councilor and nothing could change that fact. He was to make sure that she didn’t escape or he would lose his position as Verena’s ambassador and his position at C-Sec.

“Send a ship out,” Verena answered with a grin.

“No, I can’t do that. You’ll have to come to the Citadel. The Council has already given me one warning and there won’t be another,” Verani stated.

“Great. Don’t tell the Councilors, but we’ll be there in about a month,” Shepard muttered with an annoyed sigh.

“You know what happens when you come to the Citadel,” Verani reminded her with a pointed look.

“I know, but I can’t avoid it forever; no matter how much I want to,” she grumbled. “Have the supplies ready. As soon as I am finished doing the Council’s bidding, I’ll be leaving the Citadel.”

As soon as she spoke the words, Shepard felt a shiver flow over her skin. She recognized the fear she felt, but there was another emotion mixed in with it that she couldn’t quite name.

Sparatus stepped into her room just in time to hear the last of her conversation with Pallin. He didn’t like the sound of it. He now knew that his time with her was coming to an end sooner than he planned, and he didn’t know what to do.

“We’ll be at the Citadel in a month. I have three missions to do before then,” Verena stated before leaving her office. She had seen the anger and frustration in Sparatus’ eyes. She felt her own anger match his, but was surprised to discover that it wasn’t aimed at him.  
Sparatus followed her out; grabbing her arm to keep her from running away. “Why?” he growled low so the others in the mess hall wouldn’t hear them.

“Because we are low on food. We have enough for a month; maybe a little bit more,” she snapped, trying to tug her arm out of his grip. She knew she could get free with a few quick moves, but she didn’t want to harm him.

Sparatus hesitated and rested his forehead against hers. He purred softly as she relaxed in his grip. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want this,” he murmured before letting her go.

Verena watched him walk away, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. A longing unlike anything she’d felt in months rushed over her. She stared after him and lightly touched her arm where his hand had rested. She swallowed thickly; seeing how upset he was affected her more than she wanted to admit.

Garrus and Kaidan sat at a nearby table and watched the interaction between Shepard and the Councilor. “Have you ever seen that look on Shepard’s face before?” Garrus asked Kaidan.

“No, never,” Kaidan muttered with a confused look. “If that look had been on anyone else’s face, I would say they just realized that they loved someone.”

“But this is Shepard,” Garrus grumbled.

The two crewmates shared a silent glance, not sure what would happen next.

~oooooooooooooo~

Verena sat on her bed. For the past few hours she had been trying to sleep, to no avail. Every time she closed her eyes she would see Sparatus’ face. It wasn’t lust she felt, or desire. It was a yearning for him to be close. She didn’t know how the turian had accomplished it, but he had punched through all her defenses. She wasn’t sure when it happened or how, but there was no way in hell she could allow him to know about it.

Sighing heavily, she made a decision. When morning came, she would give the order to head to the Citadel and end this charade. It was time to face the music and quit running. She would marry Sparatus to strengthen the treaties between humanity and the turian race. In five years she would demand the annulment that she’d been promised. It was the best she could do. Her recent feelings for Sparatus made this action essential. There was no way she would tarnish Nihlus’ memory by falling for his brother.


	12. Chapter 12

Sparatus was certain that something had been bothering Shepard for the last several days. At the moment he was staring at the back of the pilot’s head. He knew that the man has his finger on everything that happened on the ship. He still couldn’t believe that he was lowering himself to speak with the pilot about something so personal. It irked him to no end.

Joker turned in his seat and stared at the councilor. He didn’t know why the politician was standing before him and didn’t like it one bit. He stayed silent. There was no way he was starting a conversation with this turian.

Shepard’s order to head to the Citadel had him concerned, as well; particularly given the quick arrival of the councilor to his bridge. He didn’t know what game was being played, but he didn’t like being in the center of it.

“When do we reach Feros?” Sparatus asked with narrowed eyes.

Joker scowled. He gave the turian a searching look and wondered if the man was actually unaware of the change in plans. If Shepard was doing this without his knowledge, then it meant that she was running. Joker hid his smile as another thought came to him. The councilor must have hit a nerve to make her panic that much. “We aren’t heading to Feros. We are on our way to the Citadel. We will be docked by 0800 Citadel time,” Joker answered. He had to fight really hard not to show his grin as the turian’s eyes widened.

“Do not dock until I notify you,” Sparatus snapped before storming away. Fear clawed at him. Something must have happened over the past few days to cause Shepard to make such a decision without informing him.

Pressley watched as the Turian Councilor stormed off and then turned his attention to Joker. “Whose orders are you going to follow?” he asked.

“Not sure. I’ll take my time and see what tonight brings,” Joker murmured and pressed a few buttons on the monitor next to his chair. He grinned as Shepard’s office came into view. Shepard was sitting at her desk. His grin grew as the Turian Councilor entered the screen. Now he would know what the hell was going on.

~ooooooooooooo~

Shepard didn’t turn in her seat when Sparatus entered. She really didn’t want to see him. She didn’t feel safe talking to him after realizing that her feelings for him were deeper than she thought they should be. It now appeared that her successful attempts to avoid him had failed.

“Verena, what’s going on?” Sparatus asked, walking up behind her. He could smell fear and desire coming off of her in waves. The desire pleased him, but the fear made him very uneasy.

“Why do you ask?” Verena asked calmly, even though her emotions were in turmoil. She wanted to rant and rave at the turian; yet another part wanted to have her way with him until neither could move. Then there was the part of her that she wanted to strangle. That part wanted to wake with him, feel him near…. Wanted to be with him not because of sex, but because it was him. Yep, that part she wanted to strangle and kick out of the airlock, along with the turian standing right behind her.

“I heard we are heading to the Citadel,” Sparatus remarked quietly.

“Yes, we are. We might as well stop this ruse and marry. Then in five years we can go our separate ways and be done with this,” Verena stated. Her voice was cold, devoid of all emotion. Sparatus stared at her in shock. He wondered what had changed so drastically within the last few hours. It scared him that she was shoving him away so abruptly. For a brief second he wondered if this was a ‘human thing’, but Nihlus would have said something if this happened frequently.

Sparatus moved up behind her, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. He wondered if she knew how uncertain he was in that moment, about so many things. He never expected this from Verena. He’d been almost certain that they would eventually have a real relationship, but now he was no longer sure.

He opened his mouth to ask a question, but her voice stopped him. “What do you want, Sparatus?” she asked coldly, holding very still beneath his hand. She wanted to lean into his touch; she wanted his other hand on her. But most of all she wanted him near, to hold her and tell her that this marriage could work. He made her vulnerable and she didn’t do ‘vulnerable’ very well. She hated being out of control, yet that was how he made her feel. She wished fervently that none of this had ever happened. She’d had Nihlus, loved him and then he’d left forever.

Her relationship with Sparatus was completely different. They argued and bantered, the biting comments thrown with regularity on both sides. Even though he infuriated her, she knew she’d grown to enjoy the nature of their relationship. Now all of that was about to change.

She didn’t know where to place Sparatus in her feelings and that pissed her off more than anything. They had never been good friends, so they didn’t have anything to fall back on if things were wrong between them.

“That’s a loaded question if I’ve ever heard one. You already know what I want. The question should be ‘What do you want, Verena?’” Sparatus asked with a knowing look that she couldn’t see. He watched the emotions flow across her face and found the answer he’d been hoping to get. When he entered he had been floundering. Now he had his footing and wasn’t going to back off.

“Something I shouldn’t want,” she answered vaguely.

“Really? Why shouldn’t you want me?” Sparatus purred as he leaned over her shoulder and nuzzled the side of her face. He heard her breath catch and felt her pulse pick up speed.

“You’re Nihlus’ brother,” she muttered, biting off a groan at the feel of him so close to her.

“I’m also the one you call out in your dreams, the one who makes your body burn. I can smell it even now as you protest,” Sparatus murmured, his voice deepening into a growl.

Verena fought her body’s reaction and failed. A shiver ran through her as her breath hissed out.

“Give in, Verena. Your body knows what it wants. Quit fighting me,” he whispered, brushing his mandibles lightly across her soft skin. “Every night I hear you moaning my name. Every day I see your eyes darken when I am near. I think you lie to yourself more than me,” he stated dropping his seductive tone. He gripped her shoulders tightly when she made to move away. “Don’t be a coward now. You’ve run from this long enough.”

“What do you want, Sparatus?” Verena asked breathlessly.

“For you to admit that you have feelings for me. To admit that I’ve gotten beneath your skin,” Sparatus growled heatedly.

“Fuck you!” Verena hissed, fear racing through her at the realization that this turian could read her so easily.

“Oh, don’t worry. I know you will,” Sparatus purred, sliding one hand down the front of her body without touching anything that would give her pleasure. He felt her quiver; her body shifting slightly to bring his hand closer to certain areas.

He reveled at seeing the fire in her eyes. He grinned as he watched her face flush and her eyes darken as the heady scent of her arousal flooded the room. He wanted her to love him and he was pretty sure she did; but for now, he would take what he could get. It may not be perfect, but he was tired of waiting. He needed her, wanted her and didn’t plan on backing off this time.

Verena fought not to react or shiver at his touch. She knew she shouldn’t allow this, but she was tired of fighting. Verena bowed her head in defeat. She was about to give in without a fight. For the first time in her life she was going to give up and accept the inevitable.

That one thought stopped her; bringing a cool shiver to her skin. She never gave up; she was a fighter to the last. There was no way this turian was going to enjoy her passivity. It wasn’t her.

Sparatus stopped, his gaze narrowing as he watched her eyes begin to burn; not from passion, but something else. Something he couldn’t name. He was surprised when she rose to her feet and shoved him away. He felt his plates shift as her eyes wondered over him challengingly. “You want me, Sparatus? Then take me….if you can.”

Her words shot through his body, making his plates fully separate. The desire to be tender with her disappeared as instincts rose up. The need to claim her as his own flared bright and he stalked toward his mate. He knew this was the pivotal point for them. This is when he could claim her as his mate if he proved himself worthy of her.

She watched as he stalked toward her. For the first time she actually watched him move. She hadn’t expected him to be so graceful. His steps became more confident and certain as he drew closer to her. The change in him made the fire in her belly burn. She knew what she had done by challenging him to prove himself. She accepted the consequences willingly.

Sparatus lunged, grabbing for her upper arm, but she wasn’t there. He growled low as they circled each other; both looking for some weakness to give them the upper hand in this battle.

~ooooooooooooo~

Valern looked down at the datapad in his hand. His anger rose. Things were falling apart because Sparatus and Commander Shepard were missing and their agreement hadn’t been upheld. If this kept up there was a good chance that the lasting treaties between the humans and turians would be lost.

He had no choice now but to order Sparatus and Shepard back to the Citadel. He couldn’t play Sparatus’ game anymore, even though it was beneficial to them both. He’d already talked to the Asari Councilor and she agreed, though she’d left it to him to make the final call.

The marriage had to happen now if they were to save everything. With a disgusted look he went to his table to open communications with the Normandy.

~oooooooooooooo~

The crew was seated in the Mess Hall for lunch. Garrus’ eyes flicked to the commander’s quarters every few minutes as the sounds from within grew louder. It had begun when they heard Sparatus growl, followed by the sounds of crashing items. He met Wrex’s gaze and smirked.

They could smell the Turian Councilor’s marking scent through the door. “About time,” Wrex growled.

“What do you mean ‘about time’?” Ashley asked with narrowed eyes. The noises from Shepard’s room were starting to worry her. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she hoped those sounds meant Shepard was putting that turian in his place.

Wrex smirked at the woman. He knew she wouldn’t like his answer so he didn’t bother explaining. He watched the younger turian and saw that he was amused with her, as well. The only human that didn’t seem disturbed was the male, Alenko.

~oooooooooooo~

Sparatus roared triumphantly when he finally had Verena pinned beneath him. Her nails were imbedded in the soft skin beneath his fringe but that only urged him on. “Say it,” he purred against her soft skin. He needed to hear her admit he was her mate.

Shepard opened her mouth to say the words that she both yearned for and dreaded.

“Commander, you have an urgent message from the Council,” Joker stated, his voice breaking the moment. Verena closed her eyes in relief and disappointment.

“Move, Sparatus, I have to take this,” she ordered, her ‘commander’ face slipping into place. Disappointment filled her as he moved, but she never allowed it to show. Without looking at the turian that she’d almost declared her mate, she went to her computer and opened up a channel.

Sparatus hissed angrily. He didn’t bother staying to see what they wanted. He had other business to address with the interrupting pilot.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Shepard stared at the monitor, glaring at the Salarian Councilor. “What can I do for you?” she asked trying to hide her anger and partial joy.

“You and Sparatus are to report to the Citadel immediately,” Valern stated brusquely.

“I already have the Normandy laying in a course for the Citadel. Is there anything else you need, Councilor?” she asked, hiding the bite to her words.

Valern hid his shock and took a good look at the commander. He noticed that she appeared to have just come from a fight. “I need to speak with Councilor Sparatus,” Valern muttered.

Shepard left the console with a grin. She knew where Sparatus was heading and wondered what he planned for Joker. “Joker, have Sparatus come down to my office. His pain-in-the-ass counterpart wishes to talk to him,” she announced over the intercom.

Joker felt relief sweep through him. He smirked up at the irate turian. He had a biting comment, but decided to wait for a less dangerous time to share it.

Sparatus growled low and stormed away. He was tempted to kill the remaining members of the Council at the moment. They had the worst timing and he’d just lost his chance to hear Verena admit that she was his mate. He wondered if he would get another opportunity. He didn’t think so, not unless he had more time.

He stepped into Verena’s room and scowled when he saw that she was gone. He glared at the Salarian Councilor on the screen. “What do you want?” Sparatus spat.

“Your time is up. Things are falling apart because there has been no marriage. You and Shepard are to report back to the Citadel,” Valern stated.

“And there is no way you can calm things? If you would have waited a few more hours, it wouldn’t have been a problem. Now you’ve just made things a lot harder,” Sparatus snarled.

“You know we can’t change this. The marriage has to be done now,” Valern said, glaring coldly back at Sparatus.

“Fine, she has already plotted a course,” Sparatus muttered. “If there is nothing else…” He glared at Valern, the warning in his eyes clear.

“No, there is nothing,” Valern said tiredly. He stared in shock as the screen instantly went dark. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe what a mess this had become. Now he was beginning to think that having Shepard marry Pallin might have been the better idea. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He grinned as he walked to the Asari’s office. He wondered what she would think of this idea. It would move things along a lot faster. Jealously had a way of doing that…


	13. Chapter 13

Sparatus stood in the Council’s chambers where his marriage was to take place. He was now waiting for Verena to show up. His coworkers already had things ready. They’d even provided a dress for Verena. He couldn’t wait to see her in it, but it wouldn’t surprise him one bit if she came out in banged up armor with a full complement of weapons.

Shepard’s team mates stood off to the side in the room. A few of the females offered to help her, but she’d turned them down. That didn’t surprise him, either. He had been surprised, however, by how respectful she’d been to the Salarian and Asari Councilors. He had expected biting words or possibly even threats.

He glanced once more at the doors through which she had disappeared. Doors that led to his office. He knew that for the next several months he would have to go through the torment of her scent in his office when he wouldn’t be able to be with her. Torture is what he considered it to be, and he wasn’t sure whose idea it had been.

His eyes narrowed when he saw Pallin walk in, dressed too formally to act as a witness. A low growl escaped when the other turian neared. He was shocked when Pallin didn’t even look at him, but instead headed straight for his office.

~oooooooooooooo~

Verena glanced up when the doors to Sparatus’ office opened. Her eyes widened when she saw Pallin standing there, dressed in fancy turian clothing. She was surprised that he would be dressed so formally.

“So, wanna tell me why you are so dressed up?” Verena asked as she still glared at the dress she was supposed to wear.

“It seems the Council has a plan,” Verani stated, a grin starting to appear on his face. Verena watched him closely wondering what was going on. She really didn’t like the sounds of this. The Councils’ plans were never good.

“Do I even want to ask?” she asked and rolled her eyes as the turian chuckled.

“What they are saying is I would be the better option than Sparatus now,” Pallin stated, raising his hand to silence any argument when he saw her eyes narrow lethally. “But in actuality, they are trying to push Sparatus forward by making him jealous.”

“I hope they realize that Sparatus isn’t the one delaying this,” Verena muttered.

“I figured that already,” Verani smirked as he took a seat on a nearby chair. “Why are you so against this marriage? You’ve been with Sparatus. I can smell him on you,” he clarified before she could argue.

“I haven’t been with him since that night I got drunk,” Shepard muttered.

“The scent says differently,” Palling told her, watching her very carefully. “You’ve had time to adjust to this. Why are you fighting it so hard now?”

Verena stayed silent, not sure how to answer. They were friends, but could she share all her secrets with him? She wasn’t sure if she was comfortable with that.

Her thoughts turned to Nihlus, and she realized that there was no longer any aching pain when she thought of him. She had mourned; maybe now she could move on. But if she did, what would happen with her and Sparatus? Their marriage would only be for five years. What would become of them when the contract was complete? Would they become enemies? They’d never really been friends.

She didn’t know and that scared her. Losing Sparatus would be like losing Nihlus all over again. She’d thought she could go into this with a closed heart, but she knew that was no longer the case. Not after her recent revelation regarding her feelings for him.

“Verena?” Pallin called softly. He could see she was deep in thought, but knew something was bothering her.

“What happens when the contract is done?” she asked softly, feeling out of her depth.

“That is something that you would have to talk to Sparatus about,” Pallin answered with a smile. He didn’t think for a moment that Sparatus would end the marriage in five years. Not with the growl and territorial scent he’d given off just a few moments before.

~oooooooooooooo~

“Talk to me about what?” Sparatus growled. He’d waited long enough and decided to see what in the spirits Pallin was doing in his office with Verena.

Verena jumped at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t expected it. “Nothing important,” she muttered, glaring at him.

“Hmm… then why do you smell like you are lying?” Sparatus murmured as he moved closer to her. “Now why don’t we try the truth?”

Pallin glanced between them and bit off a chuckle. He might as well not be in the room; neither of them seemed to notice that he was there. He walked quickly to the door. He wondered if they were going to make the wedding. Sparatus’ territorial scent said no, but he knew how stubborn Verena could be. He quietly closed the door behind him and went to talk to the other two councilors.

~oooooooooooooooo~

“We don’t have time for this. Let’s get this done so I can get back to my ship,” Verena hissed moving away from the turian that she cared for, in spite of herself.

“Not this time. I want an answer,” Sparatus warned as he moved closer and trapped her against his desk. He placed a hand on either side of her body, making sure that she wouldn’t be able to run anywhere.

“Well, you are not getting one,” she grumbled, glaring at him.

“I never took you for a coward, Shepard,” he purred against her skin.

She growled low, using her biotics to shove him away. A coward! She never was one of those. She was pissed that he would even suggest it. “I would suggest that we get this marriage done, now. If not I am walking out of that door and not returning!”

“You know what happens if you do that,” Sparatus reminded her, worry slithering through him at the determined look in her eyes. He knew she meant every word of her threat. He had called her a coward before and didn’t understand why it was affecting her so much this time.

He decided to keep his silence for now and wait until they were alone. He followed her out of the room and approached Hackett and the Primarch. He knew this was going to be quick, and wasn’t going to follow normal traditions. He was thankful for that. He wasn’t sure if Shepard would stay if it drug on too long.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Verena let out the breath she had been holding when they said the final words. She was now married to Sparatus. She still couldn’t believe it, but it scared her to the core. She didn’t care if anyone could smell her fear. She knew for certain that at the end of the five years she would lose another man she cared for. This one wouldn’t be because of death, but because they never had a friendship. They had nothing to fall back on once their obligations were fulfilled.

Kaidan watched Shepard as she walked out of the room. He didn’t need to be told where she was going. At first he thought she would go to her apartment, but then he knew she would be heading to the Normandy.

He and everyone else had heard the disagreement regarding her wedding night. So far she had won the argument, but he also saw what he thought was hurt on the turian’s face. He wasn’t positive that he read it right and he made a mental note to ask Garrus later.  
He followed her onto the Normandy. “Kaidan, what can I do for you?” she asked tiredly. He could hear the fatigue in her voice and almost hated bothering her.

“You need someone,” he answered. He had been there through a lot of her problems. He wanted to be there for this one.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” she muttered with a sullen look. He grinned, taking a seat on one of the chairs in her office.

“Why are you so upset about marrying him when it’s obvious that you love him?” Kaidan asked bluntly, wondering what body part he was about to lose.

She stared at Kaidan for a few minutes. They were friends and she trusted him. “We were never friends. What happens in five years? What do we have to fall back on?” she asked quietly.

“If you think you aren’t friends, think again, Shepard,” Kaidan stated with amusement at her blank look. “You may not have the normal friendship that you’d expect, but you understand each other. He’s the only one I know that will stand up to you in any mood. He is the only one I’ve seen that is able to get through to you when you angry or frustrated.”

Verena sat there thinking about Kaidan’s words. It was true, but was that enough?

Kaidan remained silent, waiting for any response. He was surprised that she didn’t lose her temper from this personal talk. Usually she wasn’t one to show emotion or feelings this freely.

“So, what’s your suggestion?” Shepard asked, trying to keep the irritation she felt at being read so easily from her voice.

“My suggestion would be to talk to him. What could it hurt? The two of you get into another argument? What’s new?” Kaidan answered with a grin as he rose to his feet. “I would also suggest not waiting till the last minute. Now I am going to enjoy my shore leave. You should do the same.”

“Yeah, I guess you are right. I’ll talk with him in a bit,” she grumbling, giving a halfhearted attempt at a smile.

~oooooooooooo~

Sparatus sat in his office, Verena’s scent surrounding him. It was almost as if she was there. He hadn’t seen her since right after the wedding. He had to smirk at the scene she’d caused. He hadn’t minded; he’d actually found it amusing.

Verena was saying her vows. They had just tied the cloth around their right hands, binding them together. The cloth had the same markings as his clan, marking her as his.

He stood there proudly as he bound himself to Verena. Her eyes narrowed in warning, which amused him. He knew she had something planned that would piss people off. Well, piss them off more than they were already. She had come, as he assumed, in her armor. She had never even taken the dress out of the box. She had looked at it in the box, but that was as far as it went.

They had to touch foreheads to seal the bond and that is when Verena shocked people even more. Their foreheads touched. “I am not fucking you tonight. I am leaving in the morning and getting Saren,” she had stated loudly.

Sparatus heard the gasps of horror and the growls of disapproval. He wondered if Verena understood what she’d just done. He saw the knowledge in her eyes and had to fight down frustration and amusement. He should have guessed that she would do this, but it frustrated him, nonetheless.

Then she did something that no one expected, even him. He was still shocked and disgusted by her words. Valern, his salarian counterpart on the Council, had told her that she had no choice. Verena had turned to Valern with the lethal eyes that he loved so much and said, “If you want a mating scent so badly, then you fuck him yourself!”

He hadn’t seen her since. He knew she was either at her apartment or the ship. He was also uncertain if he should find her and talk or leave her and wait till Saren was dead. He hated being indecisive and not having the answers he needed.

He headed to the Normandy and met one of the humans that belonged on the ship. He had seen Verena talk to him on many occasions. “Lieutenant Alenko?” he greeted, gritting his teeth. He hated being nice to the soft skins, but the lieutenant wasn’t that bad.  
Sparatus saw the amusement in the human’s eyes, “If you are looking for Shepard, she’s not on the ship anymore,” Alenko told him before walking off, chuckling.

~ooooooooooooooooo~

Verena sat on her couching trying to relax and ease her guilty conscience. She knew she’d run again, but she hated that she was going to be forced to sleep with him. She despised being forced to have his hands running over her body, his claws leaving marks on her body, his teeth piercing her skin.

She nearly moaned at the direction that her thoughts took. She was able to bite off the moan, but that didn’t stop the shiver that travelled through her body.

Sparatus stood on the other side of her door. A very faint odor came to him. He quickly punched in the code he knew and walked in.  
He took a step inside and stopped dead. Verena’s scent came to him, strong and heady. The strong scent of arousal was everywhere. He purred his delight as he stood there, letting the scent fill him. His plates shifted as he growled his delight. He knew they should be talking about the future, but he had more important things on his mind.

He marched over to her, enjoying the startled look on her face. He didn’t wait for her to say anything. He could still see the remnants of desire in her eyes. Without warning he reached down, taking her hand in his and pulling her to him. He purred softly when she didn’t resist.

This time there was nothing to interrupt them. If someone even dared, they would die very slowly.

~ooooooooooooo~

Shepard was shocked. She’d been thinking about the things she wanted to do with him when he magically appeared. She nearly groaned when she felt his hand on her skin. It didn’t matter that it was only her hand. The fact that he was here touching her was all that mattered to her.

She moaned deeply when she felt his teeth against her neck - not breaking the skin, but oh so close. She thought about urging him to do more, but hesitated. She gasped, arching in pleasure, when he cupped her breasts, his claws running over the sensitive nubs.  
She wasn’t sure when her shirt and pants disappeared. She wasn’t even sure when Sparatus lost his clothing or how they made to the table. All she remembered was his hands on her. His taste, his scent and most of all the sound of his voice as he expressed his pleasure when she touched him.

Sparatus held her tightly as he sat her on the edge of the table. His body pressed flush against her softer skin and he groaned as she squirmed. He leaned down, his breath feathering her hair until he came to her ear. “You’re mine,” he growled low.

Shepard moaned low as she heard his words. They burned a fire through her. “Prove yourself and we’ll see,” she purred, her nails digging into the sensitive skin beneath his fringe.

Sparatus roared when he heard her words; he couldn’t and wouldn’t hold back anymore. He slammed himself within her, his breath stopping as she surrounded him. She fit him perfectly, as if she was made just for him. He groaned low and held still, savoring the feeling of finally being united with her.

Sparatus moved slowly, reveling in the very feel of Verena. He was amazed at his own control. It wasn’t usual, but he had no desire at this very second to rush this union. He knew it wasn’t going to last as he watched Verena’s every reaction. She threw her head back, her back arching as she almost lay back against the table. The feel of her legs tightening around his waist…. What little control he had was quickly vanishing; especially when he angled a certain way and she called his name or screamed “Oh, God!” He wasn’t sure who god was, but he had nothing to do with this union and he would make her forget him.

Her nails bit deeply into his sensitive skin and he lost the gentleness he was enjoying. He slammed into her, losing himself in her pleas and the feel of the muscles clenching around him. He was lost in pleasure as he took her.

He leaned down, licking her neck, enjoying the taste of arousal on her skin. Without thinking he latched onto her neck, though he didn’t break through her skin. He could feel himself grow closer to release and knew she was close, as well.

He buried himself deeply within her, his teeth breaking skin, as he emptied himself inside of her. He held her tight until his member slid back into its pouch, away from view. Slowly he let her neck go and watched the droplets of blood trail down into her hair. He smirked as he saw the mark he’d given her and inhaled the scent she now carried. It was his, no one else’s. She was finally his and his alone.

Verena lay back, basking in the afterglow. Her body was finally sated and her mind was empty, at least for a short time. She was finally relaxed.

~oooooooooo~

Joker sat with the others, a grin on his face. “So the councilor is finally off of the ship for good?” he asked, looking at his team mates expectantly.

“When I saw the councilor, he was searching for Shepard,” Kaidan answered with a shrug.

Joker’s grin grew larger as he watched the self-satisfied smirks on Garrus and Wrex’s faces.

Wrex chuckled and Garrus sighed in relief. Kaidan sat back in his chair, enjoying the feeling of peace that had settled over the crew.

For a short time, at least, they were free of worries and the Turian Councilor.


	14. Chapter 14

Verena walked back to the ship. Sparatus had gone back to his apartment after making sure that she was thoroughly and completely ‘his’. She shook her head. She hadn’t expected him to have that much stamina - the kitchen table, sofa, shower and a doorframe were all christened before finally reaching the bed.

She’d had a good time - the best in her life, if she was to admit – though there were still nagging doubts. Her main concern was for the future. There had been no expressions of love or long term commitments. She knew she had feelings for Sparatus, but she didn’t know if he returned them and that bothered her greatly.

She sighed and walked onto the Normandy, surprised to see Joker still seated in the pilot’s chair. “Don’t you ever sleep?” Verena questioned as she approached him.

“I will be going to my pod in a few moments. Wanted to do a systems check before we depart in the morning,” Joker answered, never once taking his focus off of the panel in front of him.

“As soon as day shift starts I want the Normandy to head out from the Citadel,” She ordered.

“Will do. Do we wait for the councilor?” Joker asked with a look of concern that he hid from her.

“No. He’s not coming with us,” she chuckled and walked toward her room to rest a while before day shift started.

~oooooooooooo~

Sparatus lay on his bed and grumbled in frustration. He couldn’t sleep. He was used to having Verena’s scent near him. With an annoyed sigh he left the warmth of his bed and exited his apartment. He made his way to her apartment and was surprised when there was no answer to his summons. He punched in the code to her door. A quick look around told him that she wasn’t home.

He shook his head in amusement; he knew where she was without having to be told. He made his way to the Normandy and punched in the clearance code that Shepard had given him. He hoped that she hadn’t changed it within the last twenty-four hours. He wouldn’t put it past at her; if only to irk him. He noticed that the pilot wasn’t in his seat, but he supposed that even Joker needed to sleep sometime.

Sparatus was fatigued, but he wanted to see her once more before she departed in the morning. He knew this would be the only chance he would have to be near her. He wasn’t sure how long she would be gone for this time, though any separation was too long as far as he was concerned.

He found her curled up on her side, sound asleep. He smiled as he stretched out beside her and she automatically curled up to him. He held her close and watched her sleep contentedly.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Joker headed for the mass relay that would take them from the Citadel. He was grinning. They had made it away from the Citadel without the Turian Councilor tagging along. He couldn’t be happier. Maybe now things would return to normal and Shepard wouldn’t be so out of sorts. He figured that as long as no one brought up her marriage, everything on the ship should be good.

He glanced over his shoulder when he heard heavy steps coming toward him. At first he thought it was the Turian Councilor, and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Garrus.

“Where does Shepard have us going to now?” Garrus asked casually.

“Feros. She planned on doing it before the Council intervened, but didn’t have a chance,” Joker told him.

“Did she say who she is taking?” Garrus asked curiously as he glanced at the panel in front of Joker.

Joker looked at him quizzically. “No. You would know better than I would. Why don’t you go ask her?” Joker stated, his voice thick with annoyance.

Garrus didn’t bother answering. Something was bothering him, but he couldn’t put his claws on it.

“How long until we reach Feros?” Garrus asked.

“We should be there in three hours,” Joker answered absently. He glanced behind him as he heard Garrus leave and wondered why the turian had come to him. It wasn’t normal behavior, but he could see that something was bothering the turian.

He thought about speaking to Shepard about the incident, but decided to leave it alone. He knew Shepard was still in her quarters, but he would be surprised to discover that she was still sleeping. He had never known the commander to sleep the morning away.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus woke with a start when he felt the bed move. His eyes snapped opened and he quickly glanced around. Then he remembered that he had come aboard the Normandy to say one last farewell to Verena before she left. Must have dozed off, he thought with a scowl.

He glanced at the sleeping commander and silently slipped out of bed. He looked down at his clothing and grimaced; they were wrinkled from sleeping in them. It didn’t matter. He would head straight to his apartment and change before heading to the Council’s chambers.

~ooooooooooooo~

The crew was eating lunch in the mess hall. They glanced up when Shepard’s door opened. Wrex chuckled, Liara and Tali swallowed nervously, and Kaidan groaned. “I thought I heard that he was off the ship permanently,” Kaidan grumbled quietly so the councilor wouldn’t overhear.

“I thought he was,” Garrus muttered, watching the Turian Councilor make his way to the CIC deck.

“Wonder if Shepard knows about this,” Wrex murmured.

“He just came from her room. I am pretty sure she knows,” Kaidan muttered snidely with a scowl at the krogan.

“If Shepard is even in her room. Has anyone seen her this morning?” Wrex asked with a pointed look. The rest of the party exchanged glances. He could see the shocked looks appear on their faces. None of them could remember a time when Shepard wasn’t awake before them; looking over datapads with a coffee in her hand.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Joker groaned as he heard Garrus walk up behind him. “Garrus, I already told you that we’ll arrive at Feros in under three hours,” he muttered. He couldn’t think of any other reason why the turian would have returned.

“For your sake I hope that you are joking,” Sparatus growled. If he would have been in the right frame of mind, he would have found the pilot’s reaction amusing. Waking up on a moving vessel didn’t amuse him in the least.

Joker stared dumbfounded at the Turian Councilor. He didn’t even bother curbing what he said to the turian. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on the Citadel,” he exclaimed.

“Obviously I am not there. Why have we left Citadel space already?” Sparatus growled low as he stared down at the pilot.

“Shepard orders when she came onboard last night. As soon as the day shift started I was supposed to head for Feros,” Joker explained hurriedly when he saw the anger in the turian’s eyes.

Sparatus glanced at his omnitool and hissed when he saw the time. He was shocked that he’d slept so long. Actually he was shocked that he slept at all; he was only supposed to be aboard for a few minutes. He wasn’t sure what his next move should be. He needed to speak with Shepard quickly and get in touch with the Council.

~ooooooooooooo~

The two remaining councilors sat alone in the asari’s office. “It’s official. Sparatus is aboard the Normandy,” she murmured.

“Hopefully now they can work out their differences. He owes us for this,” Valern muttered with a shake of his head.

“What did you place in that wine bottle?” Telos asked with a raised brow.

“A little salarian concoction,” Valern answered with a smug smile. “They’ll sleep off the affects. By the time they wake all evidence of the chemical will be out of their system.”

“If Sparatus finds out…” Tevos didn’t bother completing that sentence; they both knew what his temper was like.

“By that time it will be too late. He’s already aboard the Normandy with his mate - one that he’s wanted for a while if we are going by his scent. I see no harm in helping him along,” Valern muttered with a shrug of his shoulders.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Shepard groaned as she rolled over to ignore the pounding at her door. Her eyes snapped open as realization dawned. She quickly glanced at her omnitool and hissed when she saw the time. It was past noon. She couldn’t believe it.

Quickly she dressed and gave entrance to her visitor. Kaidan stood before her with a scowl on his face.

“Shit, I don’t like the looks of this. What’s happened?” she muttered, looking at Kaidan expectantly.

“You honestly don’t know?” Kaidan asked with a disbelieving snort.

“Kaidan, I just woke up. I can’t remember EVER sleeping in this late. Now kindly tell me what the fuck is going on,” she growled, glaring at the man in front of her.

Kaidan narrowed his eyes. “Where is the Turian Councilor?” he asked, watching her closely for any signs that she knew he was onboard.

“Probably in his office or his home. Why?” she asked in confusion.

“Nope. He’s closer than that,” Kaidan said with a sigh.

“What does that mean?” Verena hissed angrily.

“It means that your ship left dock with me onboard again,” Sparatus answered from the doorway.

“What the fuck?” Verena yelled.

“No quite my thought, but close enough,” Sparatus answered with amusement.

“Why in the hell were you aboard in the first place?” Verena asked, her anger rising with each passing second.

“That I will discuss with you in private,” Sparatus stated, looking at Kaidan pointedly. He watched the human leave the room hastily. He waited until the door closed firmly before he moved over to Verena.

“Now that we are alone you can tell me why you are aboard my ship,” Verena hissed as she scowled at him.

Sparatus sighed, taking a seat in her office chair. He glanced up at Verena and decided to tell her the truth. He wondered if he was about to make a mistake, then decided that it wouldn’t matter since everything else he did seemed to backfire on him.

“I couldn’t sleep after leaving you, so I went to your apartment; but you weren’t there. So I came here. My plan was to see you once more and then leave. I must have fallen asleep,” he muttered with a shake of his head. He waited for the outburst or further questioning to begin.

Verena watched him for a moment. She was surprised that he would go searching for her when he couldn’t sleep. Her first thought was that he was duty bound to do it since they were married, but that didn’t seem right.

She met his gaze with her own and saw so many emotions there. Half of them she couldn’t identify. She thought about asking why he would search for her, but she was afraid that her first assumption was correct and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to take that.  
“So it looks like you’re stuck here for a bit,” Verena grumbled.

“It would seem so, but I need to contact the councilors and inform them of this unexpected incident,” Sparatus muttered as he turned to her computer. He brought up his mail, wanting to check over it before talking with the councilors.

His eyes widened, but he quickly covered his surprise before Verena saw it. He glanced at her and noticed her back was toward him, which was good. He’d just read the message that Valern had sent him. He didn’t know whether to be angry or impressed at his fellow councilor’s actions. He hadn’t expected this, nor was he sure if it was a good idea, but he wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass him by.

“Let me know when you wish to speak with the council and I’ll make sure Joker is near a com buoy for you,” Verena stated.

“I’ll wait until after your mission. I’ve already sent a message,” Sparatus lied while he inwardly grinned.

Verena stared at him for a few minutes, She was stunned that this had happened a second time. She didn’t know how or why. She wasn’t sure if the deities were playing a sick joke on her by forcing her to deal with the one person she wanted to avoid; both physically and emotionally. She didn’t want to admit that she loved him when she knew he didn’t return her affection. She didn’t want to have feelings of any sort for him, and yet here he was… a temptation just for her.

She smirked. At least there one good thing would come from this… There would be no sexual frustration for this part of the trip.

~oooooooooooo~

The ground crew looked at Kaidan expectantly. “You have to be kidding! Shepard didn’t know?” Wrex grumbled, not believing a word of it. But he had never known Shepard to lie.

“That is what she said. She hadn’t even known the time,” Kaidan told them. He watched their expressions shift from curiosity to shock.

“So what happens now?” Ashley asked with a sigh.

“It appears that the Turian Councilor will be aboard for a little while. I can’t see Shepard heading back to the Citadel just to drop him off,” Kaidan answered with a shrug.

“The Turian Councilor was just as shocked when he came to the cockpit,” Joker piped up, putting in his own two cents.

“That’s odd. Shepard slept the morning away, not knowing her husband is onboard,” Garrus muttered with a confused look. It made no sense to him.

Kaidan nodded in agreement. For as long as he known Shepard, she was always awake early; even when she had been drinking all night. She was never one to sleep in, even when she had a hangover. He could see this bothered Garrus. It bothered him also, but he wasn’t sure if there was anything they could do about it.

“The Turian Councilor slept less than Shepard when he was here before,” Tali piped up. They glanced at her and nodded in agreement.  
Wrex was about to say more, but kept silent as Shepard’s office door opened. He gave a warning look to the others as Shepard walked out. “Ashley and Liara, you’re with me on this mission. Be ready in one hour,” she ordered and headed for the CIC deck.

“She doesn’t seem to be in a good mood,” Ashley muttered.

“Be thankful she’s not driving the mako for this mission,” Garrus muttered with a shudder. He grinned as the others chuckled.

“I’d bet that she has one in her back pocket just to torture you with,” Kaidan said and grinned at Garrus. It was well known that Shepard wasn’t someone that you wanted in the mako’s pilot seat. Garrus knew that better than any of them. Wrex didn’t seem to mind her driving abilities, but everyone else made use of nearby bags once in a while.

~ooooooooooooo~

Sparatus went to Shepard’s bedside table and took the bottle of liquor they had shared after saying their vows. He smirked as he remembered what Valern had said about the bottle in his message. He would have to wait till Shepard was off the ship before he could hide it.

The next time they had an intimate moment he wanted her without the interference of drugs.

He had to shake his head; he had his work cut out for him. He knew how he felt about Shepard. The next step was to get her to admit her feelings to him. He knew that wouldn’t be easy and that reaching her in a way that didn’t involve sex would be nearly impossible.  
He glanced at his omnitool and set the bottle down. He left the room and headed down toward the exit hatch where he knew his wife would be. He couldn’t keep the grin off of his face when he thought of her as his wife. Now he just needed her to accept his mark without the help of alcohol or lust fogging her mind. He needed to know that she actually wanted it. He stepped out into the garage and his eyes widened when he didn’t see Shepard anywhere nearby. He fully expected her to be there.

“She’s leaving through the airlock this time since we are docked,” Garrus answered, his shocked look tinged with amusement.

Sparatus didn’t bother saying a word as he left the garage. Garrus chuckled as he watched the Turian Councilor leave. “Well at least we can say there will be entertainment; along with a few good fights,” Garrus murmured thoughtfully.

“Makes these missions more than worth it. If I would have known flying on a human ship would have been so entertaining I might have tried it before,” Wrex chuckled.

“Don’t think there is a ship out there that will be just like this one. I have an hundred credits that says its takes a couple of days to admit their feelings,” Garrus offered with an expectant look.

“Before we place this bet we should wait for the others. They’ll probably want in on this,” Wrex reminded him. Garrus nodded. This was one bet that no one would pass up. With the two most stubborn individuals in the universe battling a sea of emotions, the fun was just beginning…


	15. Chapter 15

Sparatus glanced at his omnitool once more and continued pacing. Three hours! What the hell was taking her so long? He shook his head. It had been a simple mission to destroy some geth.

He sighed and took a seat once more. He ignored the eyes that followed him everywhere. He had already heard about the bets they’d placed on this outcome. For a bit he’d found it amusing. Now he was just worried. His wife was out there doing spirits only knew what. She could be injured or worse. That thought made him resume his pacing once again.

“If someone doesn’t stop him soon, I am going to shoot him,” Wrex muttered as he watched the turian begin circling the room.

“If you harm him Shepard will kill you,” Kaidan reminded him.

“At least I will be put out of my misery; freeing me from watching a love sick turian pace,” Wrex muttered with a grimace.

Sparatus stopped when he heard the krogan’s comment. He glowered at him. “You have something to say, Krogan?” Sparatus bit out, his growl low and menacing.

Wrex debated for a moment and decided that he might as well speak his mind. Shepard wasn’t onboard to kick his ass, so he was safe enough for now. She would return, but he was pretty sure that all the fighting she was doing down on Feros would make the beating less severe than if she was full strength.

“Yeah. I said your pacing is annoying me,” Wrex retorted, taking up a challenging stance.

“Wrex, are you sure you want to do this?” Kaidan muttered, shaking his head. He didn’t think this was a brilliant idea. He honestly thought it was the dumbest move he’d ever seen the krogan make.

Garrus, Tali and Kaidan quickly moved out of the way as the Turian Councilor roared and charged at Wrex.

“Shit! We have to stop this,” Kaidan muttered with a scowl.

“I’m not stepping in the middle of that,” Tali muttered.

Garrus looked at Kaidan and nodded. He didn’t like the idea of stepping in any more than Tali did, but he knew that Shepard would be furious when she found out. He wasn’t sure at whom she would direct her anger, but it didn’t matter. He knew that no crew member would hear the end of it if they didn’t step in.

Garrus flinched when one of Sparatus’ claws raked across Wrex’s face. He could see blood begin to flow and knew they had no choice but to stop the altercation. Both were out of for blood from the look of things. He waited for Kaidan to make the first move before he stepped in.

He groaned when Kaidan stopped Wrex, placing him in a biotic stasis. He wished Kaidan would have chosen the councilor. Garrus growled low in frustration and swung out, hitting the councilor on the side of his head; diverting his attention from Wrex. He hoped Kaidan could calm Wrex down while he dealt with the councilor. He hoped this wouldn’t affect his status or rank with his people. He really hoped it didn’t mean his life.

He ducked the councilor’s next hit and swung toward his lower abdomen. He dodged another blow, but received a knee to his stomach. He hadn’t been expecting the councilor to be this good at fighting. He didn’t want to use his claws or any of the lethal moves he knew, but he knew that he may not have a choice in the matter if the battle continued.

Garrus growled low when he felt the councilor’s claws rake across his armor. “Sparatus!” Garrus yelled, trying to break through the turian’s rage. Instantly he saw a flicker of light spark in the turian’s eyes. “Verena will be back soon and she is going to be pissed,” Garrus said calmly as he blocked another blow heading to his head. “Do you want your mate to see you like this?”

Garrus sighed in relief as the councilor’s arms dropped to his sides. He was glad the fight was over, but he was worried about his future. He watched the Turian Councilor carefully, wondering what his next move would be. He had the authority to have Garrus removed from C-Sec or banished from his clan. He could even have him killed.

He watched the Turian Councilor walk away and step into Shepard’s office. Garrus turned angry eyes to Wrex. “Did you really have to provoke him while he was in that state?” he hissed.

“What? So there was a little blood. Nothing more was going to happen. The two of you were worried for nothing,” Wrex muttered.

“Wrex, he was out for blood! He would have killed you if he had a chance,” Garrus spat at the krogan before storming to the garage to vent his anger.

Kaidan looked at Wrex. He was surprised to see the shocked expression on the krogan’s face. “I thought the turian was just relieving some frustration,” he muttered.

Kaidan didn’t bother explaining what a stupid though that was…

~ooooooooooooooooo~

Shepard walked onboard, dead tired. Her mind was fogged and a massive headache was building behind her eyes. All she wanted was rest - she didn’t think she could even hold down food at the moment. She sighed as she made it to the mess hall. A few more steps and she would be in her room. She didn’t give a fuck if Sparatus was in her room. The turian could amuse himself for a while.

She glanced around the mess hall and saw Garrus and Wrex sitting at a nearby table. Wrex was sporting some cuts that were still seeping blood. Garrus had a few cuts, as well, on the plates of his face. They weren’t bad and she knew they probably wouldn’t scar.  
She turned as she heard footsteps behind her. Her eyes widened when she seen Sparatus. He looked worse than all of them. “What the hell happened while I was gone?” Verena asked in a cold voice.

Sparatus avoided her eyes, as did Wrex. “You know, this time I don’t think I want to know. But if it happens again, you will both be scrubbing this ship from top to bottom with a human’s toothbrush,” Shepard warned, her voice icy as she glanced between the pair.  
They watched her storm to her room. Garrus withheld his smirk as both Wrex and the councilor sighed in relief.

Sparatus closed his eyes in relief, but he was still worried. He had seen the fatigue on Verena’s face and noticed that she hadn’t eaten. He wasn’t sure if he should see to her needs now or wait until her anger cooled. As soon as that thought popped in his mind he hesitated and glowered. He had never once been uncertain before meeting Verena. He wasn’t impressed.

Without another glanced at the rest of her ground crew, he stormed to her room.

Garrus watched all the expressions on the Turian Councilor’s face and heard the undertones in his voice. Something had bothered him greatly. For a second he wondered what it could have been, but decided that it actually didn’t matter as long as it didn’t upset Shepard any further.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Shepard sat on her bed, rubbing the sore muscles on her shoulders and neck. Her headache had gotten much worse. She wasn’t exactly sure what the asari had done to her, but she didn’t like the results of their encounter. She glanced up when she heard her doors open.

“What do you want?” Verena asked Sparatus with a scowl.

“What happened on the planet?” Sparatus asked.

“Both you and the Council will have to wait until I do my report,” Verena muttered with a grimace as another pain shot through her skull.

Sparatus noticed that she was in pain. He wasn’t sure what to do to help. His eyes widened as he remembered a conversation he’d heard between a few of Verena’s team members. If he remembered correctly they were trying to talk her into hiring a masseuse. He had looked it up at the time, but even after the explanation Alenko gave he hadn’t liked what he read. Now, however, it gave him an idea.

He ignored her scowl as he sat on the bed. He didn’t even bother asking or warning her of what he planned. He knew she would have an argument ready so it didn’t really matter. He was doing it whether she liked it or not.

He gently rubbed the muscles on one shoulder and bit back a grin when she groaned. He decided to do both at the same time and see what would happen. His test indicated that she enjoyed his ministrations.

This time he grinned as he heard her moan. He kept rubbing the muscles until he felt them soften beneath his claws. He followed the tension up to her neck and noticed that she was starting to relax a lot more. Her eyes were fluttering closed as she groaned when he hit one very tense muscle.

Verena didn’t know where he learnt this, but she was damn glad that he knew how to give a message. Her headache was still pounding, but it was tolerable for now. She knew once he stopped the headache would return in full force.

She hissed with pleasure when she felt the pads of his fingers lace through her hair and brush against her scalp. She moved her head so his fingers were more firmly pressed against her.

Sparatus hesitated. He wasn’t sure what she wanted. He had been trying to brush her hair from her face, but she had leaned into his touch and now he was at a loss. He went to move his hand away when a frustrated groan escaped her. He thought about voicing his uncertainty, but he would rather shoot himself than do it.

Verena scowled when he stopped. She could feel the tension in his body and his hesitation. She decided not to ask about the cause. She’d already guessed that he had never done this before, especially with a human. “God, don’t stop,” she moaned. She heard a deep rumble and grinned.

Sparatus hesitantly moved his three fingers, unsure if he was doing it correctly. His eyes widened when she pressed further into his hand once more. When he heard her moan once more his confidence grew and he moved his fingers more firmly; being careful of his claws.

Verena felt her headache lessening. Her eyes started drifting shut and her body totally relaxed as Sparatus continued the steady rhythm of his fingers through her hair.

Sparatus smirked as he noticed Verena leaning into him more. Her body was very relaxed and the grimace that had been on her face was slowly vanishing. He stopped his motion and allowed her body to lay back against him. He smiled gently as he saw she had fallen asleep. A deep purr rumbled out of him as he held her close. Now if only she would quit being so stubborn and tell him that she loved him. He would finally be able to quit worrying.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that. He never moved until a ping on the door interrupted his thoughts. He scowled and gently laid Verena down.

He scowl turned darker when he saw Alenko at the door. “What?” he growled.

“The Council wishes to speak with Shepard,” Kaidan answered, hiding his smirk from the councilor. The growl in the turian’s voice sounded very possessive. He’d bet that it would take three days for them to admit their feelings and he hoped to win. This show of possessiveness was a good sign of his possible success.

“They can damn well wait,” Sparatus hissed before storming out of the room to speak with his coworkers. His scowl deepened when he heard the human chuckle at his retreating back. He thought about showing his disdain, but decided it wasn’t worth the bother.

~oooooooooooooo~

“What’s so funny?” Wrex asked when Kaidan took a seat with them.

“Just told the Turian Councilor that the other councilors wish to speak with Shepard,” Kaidan answered with amusement.

“So?” Wrex asked with a scowl. The human hadn’t answered his question appropriately.

“If I didn’t know better I would have said that he sounded protective,” Kaidan answered with a smug grin.

“What do you know about how a protective turian sounds?” Wrex asked as his scowl deepened. He glanced at Garrus to see what he thought.

“Considering that he growled at me, then told me that the council could damn well wait and stormed off to talk to them….” Kaidan muttered, not sure if he was right now. The councilor had growled at them all at one point or another.

“What was Shepard doing?” Garrus asked curiously.

“Sleeping,” Kaidan murmured. They had all witnessed how much this mission had taken out of her.

Garrus grinned. Kaidan had been right. “You won’t win. Remember that we are talking about the two most stubborn people alive,” Garrus reminded him.

“Wouldn’t be so sure of that, Vakarian,” Kaidan chortled.

~OOOOO~

“Sparatus, we need to speak with Shepard. She should have contacted us by now,” the Asari Councilor stated.

“I am not waking her until it is absolutely needed,” Sparatus snapped coldly, glaring at his coworkers.

“Waking her?” she questioned, looking at Sparatus quizzically. They had never known Shepard to sleep during the day. Valern sat back in his seat when he saw Sparatus’ mandibles quiver and his avian eyes contract - a clear warning for them to back off.

“When she wakes have her report to us,” Valern stated before cutting communications.

“Did you notice that?” Valern asked Tevos.

“I missed whatever put the grin on your face,” she muttered.

“Sparatus is agitated because you were pushing to speak with Shepard, just like a mated turian would,” Valern grinned and held out his hand.

“You haven’t won the bet yet. I didn’t hear him call her ‘his mate’,” Tevos murmured with a slight smile.

“It’s just a matter of time…” Valern said with a small chuckle.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Shepard walked out her door and hesitated when she heard her team talking. Her eyes widened at what she heard.

“Kaidan, you are not going to win, Shepard and the Turian Councilor are too stubborn to admit to any feelings in only three days,” Ashley muttered.

“I still say three weeks,” Garrus stated, his claws tapping on the table.

“You all are wrong. Knowing those two it will be after we get Saren. Can’t see Shepard keeping the councilor onboard much longer,” Wrex grumbled.

“One week, guys. That’s all it’s going to take,” Joker said over the com.

“Ashley, you never placed a bet. How come?” Kaidan asked.

“Cause when Shepard finds out about this, and she will, I don’t want my ass to be the one kicked,” Ashley laughed. “How was your nap, Shep?”

Verena couldn’t have planned it better if she’d wanted to. She had to take a few deep breaths to stop her laugh from bursting forth. She glanced at her crew and saw all the guilty expressions on their faces. She watched them exchange glances nervously. She found this highly amusing. She should have been pissed, but couldn’t bother. It raised the morale of the ship so she would allow the betting to continue. But now that she knew the bets… Maybe she could use it to her advantage.

“Place me down for a week and half,” Verena murmured before walking away from the stunned looks of her companions.

A grin split her face as she heard Wrex’s booming laugh.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus stepped out of the shadow and smirked as Shepard’s crew jumped and then groaned. He didn’t say a word as he walked into Shepard’s room.  
His first thought was to berate Shepard and her crew for betting, but he thought better of it. He had seen what Shepard had - the high spirits of the crew. If this helped them with stress relief, who was he to take it from them?  
His own plan to relieve stress would begin once Verena returned to their room.


	16. Chapter 16

Shepard grumbled as she stared at her computer. She’d had it all planned out. She should have been able to admit her feelings within a week and a half, but no…

Every fucking time she opened her mouth to do just that, the only thing that would come out was a sigh. Man, she could really kick her own ass now. It was going on two weeks and still she couldn’t get up the balls to tell one turian that she loved him.

Of course it didn’t help matters when said turian didn’t return her feelings. She didn’t know how many times she’d had this argument with herself; so many times now that she could hand herself over to the men in white and they would take her willingly. She was positive that she was going insane.

But there was one good thing out of all this. Kaidan had lost the bet. That made her grin, but Garrus was coming very close to winning. That thought soured her mood. She didn’t want anyone to win.

She scanned her messages, her eyes widening as she read an available mission. She read over the information and grinned. She knew exactly who she was taking on this mission…

“Joker, head to the coordinates I am sending to you,” she ordered and left her office. She headed straight for the elevator, ignoring the other turian in the mess hall that was examining a data pad.

She smirked when she saw that only Garrus’ feet were sticking out from beneath the mako. She sauntered over and grinned. She glanced at Wrex and noticed the amusement in his eyes.

“Shepard, what are you planning?” Wrex asked with a chuckle. His chuckle turned to outright laughter when he heard Garrus hit his head on the bottom of the mako.

“Not a thing. You did well enough on your own,” Verena answered with a grin when she heard common cursing mixed with turian.

~oooooooooooooo~

Sparatus followed Verena down to the lower levels. He wasn’t comfortable with her being alone with another turian male. Especially when she wasn’t fully mated with him.

He stayed near the elevator and watched intently in case Garrus had some ideas of his own about his mate. He shook his head at himself for where his thoughts were going. He knew he had nothing to worry about, but the thought of Verena near another unmated turian made him uneasy. As soon as he could get her to mark him and allow him to mark her without the help of alcohol or drugs he would feel a lot more secure.

He smirked when he saw the banter between the krogan and Verena. He held in his laughter when he heard Garrus hit his head on the bottom of the mako. He was about to leave when he noticed the scowl on Garrus’ face, but Verena’s next words stopped him dead.  
“Is the mako ready for some off-road driving?” Verena asked sweetly. Sparatus narrowed his eyes when he heard her tone of voice. He couldn’t believe that she would use that tone with Garrus. He was really worried now. He wondered if Verena would try to seduce Garrus. He thought Verena was different than most humans, but maybe he’d been wrong. From what he knew of humans, they went through mates quickly; never taking their bonds seriously.

He was about to storm over there and confront her, but decided to wait and see. Catch her in the act. That way she couldn’t deny what he had witnessed. His hands clenched into fists by his side. He could feel his claws pricking his skin, but didn’t care.

“Yes, why?” he heard Garrus ask nervously. He smirked - even Garrus had come to the same conclusion as he had.

“’Cause we got a mission and we’ll need to use the mako.” He watched Verena grin widely. A snarl almost escaped him, but he bit it off quickly.

“It’s ready whenever you are, Shepard. I think I’m going to grab myself some food,” Garrus said quickly as he trilled sharply in fear. The sound confused Sparatus. He didn’t understand why Garrus would trill in fear. It made no sense.

“Not so fast...” Verena snapped out. Sparatus stayed in the shadows out of sight. He knew Garrus was aware of his presence, but Verena wasn’t. He still didn’t understand the fear in Garrus’ eyes. He was a turian. He wouldn’t be afraid of a woman coming onto him, no matter what race. Things rarely made a turian fearful.

His eyes widened when he heard Garrus swear profusely in turian. His mandibles went slack when he heard Garrus growl and trill loudly. He knew Verena wouldn’t hear any of those sounds, but now he was really confused.

“Yes, Commander?” Garrus asked with his hands clenched into fists.

“You’re coming on the mission, too,” Sparatus heard Verena state with a malicious light in her eyes. He shook his head. He realized that he had been incorrect in his assumption. She wasn’t here to seduce Garrus, but for some other reason.

“You know, Shep, Liara or Tali might want to go instead…” Garrus trailed off.

“Not a chance. You are going,” Verena stated with certainty. “Tali, as well, since she is the next closest to winning that bet.” Sparatus bowed his head in amusement. He clamped his mandibles hard so he didn’t laugh.

“WHAT!” Garrus yelled, outraged. He ignored the snickering turian in the shadows.

“Tough! There are missing turians on the planet below us and we are going to find out what the fuck happened to them,” Verena bit out.

“Understood, Shepard. I’ll notify Tali that she’s coming. If I could make a suggestion?” Garrus muttered, looking at her hopefully. If he was going to suffer, he wouldn’t do it alone.

“What’s that?” Verena asked with a raised brow.

“You should have the councilor come with us. If this involves turians, he would want to be included,” Garrus murmured with a sly grin.

“Hmm… not a bad idea. Alright. Go inform him and don’t worry about Tali. She can stay onboard. I’ll get her the next time,” Verena murmured with a devious smile.

Garrus turned to the shadows. “You heard her. And if I were you, I wouldn’t eat or drink anything until after you board the Normandy again,” Garrus said with amusement as Sparatus stepped out of the shadows.

“What the hell are you doing down here?” Verena asked with a glare.

“Checking on something,” Sparatus answered with a shrug.

“Do you have armor?” Verena asked.

“No, not here,” Sparatus muttered with a sigh. For a brief moment he had been looking forward to going on a mission with her. The lack of proper protective gear would make it impossible.

“You are damned lucky that I have spare armor here,” Verena muttered, leading him over to their lockers. Sparatus was surprised by the selection. The armor she passed him was better than what he usually wore and that had been the best for the longest time. He checked out the guns and omnitool that she passed him. Each of them were of high quality.

He watched as Verena went over to a locker and grabbed her armor. His brow ridge raised as she stripped and dressed in the middle of the bay. No one around seemed to mind. He wasn’t sure Garrus even noticed and if he did, the turian didn’t seem to care.

~oooooooooooooo~

Sparatus held onto the grab bar for dear life. He glanced at Garrus and noticed him doing the same thing. He had been using military code to speak for the ride so Verena didn’t understand them.

“Is it usually this bad?” Sparatus asked.

“Worse. This is a calm ride,” Garrus bit out as he swallowed convulsively.

“Hardly. I think I left my stomach back there somewhere,” Sparatus muttered.

“Trust me it gets a lot worse. Just be thankful that there are no mountain ranges here,” Garrus muttered and trilled sharply when he saw that very danger looming ahead.

Sparatus heard the trill and faced forward again. His eyes widened as they ran up the side of a mountain. He trilled sharply when he noticed the large drop off on the opposite side. His heart got stuck in his throat as his wife kept driving.

“SHEPARD!!! A mako doesn’t have wings!!!” Sparatus yelled.

“Nope, but it does have thrusters,” she answered jovially.

“You should have never been allowed to pilot any vehicle,” Sparatus bit out.

“Remember, Councilor, you can take her license away,” Garrus reminded him with a grin they both shared.

“Very true,” Sparatus said deviously. His realized that it was for everyone’s safety that she not be allowed behind the wheel of any moving vehicle ever again.

“Do you ever want sex again? Take my license and you’ll be taking care of your own needs without my help,” Verena smiled lethally.

“Shit! Sorry, Vakarian,” Sparatus muttered. He knew Verena would stand by her threat.

Garrus slumped back in his chair, but he understood why the councilor didn’t follow through with his threat. If it had been his mate he wouldn’t have, either. But it had been amusing to think that Shepard may never drive again.

“Heads up, boys. We’re coming to the coordinates that Joker received,” Verena said as she slowed the vehicle on the top of a rocky mountain that overlooked the valley below.

Sparatus leaned forward and looked down at the area, but he didn’t see anything suspicious. “Well?” he asked impatiently.

“You want us to rush down there and maybe meet the same fate as them?” Verena asked sarcastically. “Garrus, use the gun as a scope and check the area.”

“Everything seems quiet down there,” Garrus stated.

Verena moved the mako forward a lot slower than the people in the vehicle would expect from her. She kept her eyes on the radar, but no warnings appeared. She narrowed her eyes. She didn’t like this. Something was wrong about this whole thing.

“Sparatus, you’re staying inside. Garrus, you guard the mako. I’m going to check out the bodies,” Shepard ordered as she slipped out of the door. She heard Garrus exit right behind her.

She moved cautiously toward the bodies and her eyes widened. The bodies were burned by something she had never seen before. But she knew these burns. It had been part of her training. The best way to handle the thing that made the burns was to bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.

She remembered the team that went to Akuze… all of them had died. She had almost gone, but she had broken her leg just hours before they were to give her the orders. She had been pissed that she couldn’t go, but the decision had saved her life.

“Garrus, get in the fucking mako!” she yelled and ran toward him.

Her eyes narrowed when she saw Sparatus in the driver seat. “Get out of the driver seat,” she ordered. Her eyes widened when Sparatus didn’t argue. She was really shocked, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She had to get them out of here.

“What’s going on?” Sparatus asked. He had never seen that look of fear in her face before.

“Thresher maw,” she replied and smirked when she heard the gasps from her companions. She couldn’t have said it any better, herself.

She shoved the vehicle into high gear and sped to the nearest rocky hill that she could find. She growled, wishing the mako would go faster.

“Shep, it’s right behind us,” Garrus told her as he shot at the creature.

“Fuck! We’re going to have to fight it. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Garrus, keep shooting and don’t let off. You’ll have to take your shots when you can. I can’t keep this bucket of bolts in one place for too long,” she muttered.

“Understood,” Garrus stated and turned his attention to the scope of the gun.

“Sparatus, I need you up here watching the shields and radar,” she ordered. He immediately complied. She really liked it. He did exactly what she said when she said it. There was no second guessing, no arguing and no biting words about the fact that he was being ordered around.

Sparatus moved quickly to the front. The first time she gave him orders he’d fought not to snap at her. But this was her mission, her crew and he wasn’t in charge. She was. So turian training kicked in and orders were orders no matter how bad they were. So far none of hers had been bad.

He cringed as she spun and drove dangerously. Through it all he could see that she knew what she was doing. He was glad for a moment that she was a psychotic fighter. Right now the odds were in their favor, if just barely.

He watched the shields take another hit, but they were still in the safe zone. “Verena, I lost him. He went underground,” Sparatus stated.

“Garrus, do you have eyes?” she called out.

“No, Shepard,” Garrus answered, searching the area.

“Fuck!” Shepard growled. They must have hurt it for it to go underground so quickly. She quickly resumed their course for the mountains. She glanced at Sparatus and saw that he was already trying to rebuild the shields they had lost. She had to hand it to him. He was doing excellently in this perilous situation.

She slammed on the breaks when the maw popped up in front of them. “Shit, found it!” But she needn’t have bothered saying a word. Garrus was already shooting at it. She noticed that he used the cannon every chance he got.

“Verena, shields at half,” Sparatus stated.

“Shit! Garrus, do you think you can put one of those canon shots into its mouth just as it opens?” she asked urgently.

“Not with the erratic driving,” he muttered.

“Garrus, get ready to shoot one down its throat,” she ordered and turned the vehicle so it was driving straight for the creature. She hoped Garrus was quick. If he wasn’t, they were fucked.

She grinned as he fired the cannon and it disappeared into the maw’s mouth. She gave a cheer when the creature fell to the ground. “And that, gents, is how you take down a thresher maw,” she crowed.

Sparatus gazed at her with a predatory gleam in his eyes. He grabbed the front of her armor and pulled her roughly to him. He tongue slipped out, entering her mouth. Tasting her until they broke apart to breathe.

“I think I am going to turn off the beacon,” Garrus muttered as he quickly escaped the mako. He prayed that their activities wouldn’t go any further than what he’d just witnessed.

He quickly turned off the beacon. He wasn’t sure if there were more threshers around and didn’t want to take a chance.

He climbed back into the mako and groaned. They weren’t having sex, but if they weren’t quick getting back to the Normandy, Sparatus was going to take Shepard very soon. The councilor’s marking scent filled the small cabin.

“Shepard, the beacon is down. We can head back to the Normandy,” Garrus told her when Sparatus broke whatever they were doing. He had seen humans kiss and it was something like that, but not quite the same. He needed out of the mako before more things were burned into his brain.

“Joker, come pick us up,” Shepard ordered.

“And hurry,” Garrus added in.

“You got it,” Joker answered with a laugh.

~ooooooooooooo~

Garrus jumped out of the mako as if it was on fire. Kaidan looked at him oddly, not sure what to make of his actions. He moved over toward the mako and almost ran when he heard Shepard groan.

“Kaidan, you don’t want to go there,” Garrus warned him just before shutting the door.

“Sparatus is in there, isn’t he?” Kaidan asked with an amused smirk.

“Yep,” Garrus muttered and left the garage.

Wrex chuckled as he smelled the turian’s marking scent from where he was sitting. His eyes widened as the mako started rocking rhythmically.

~oooooooooooo~

Sparatus grabbed Shepard and brought her to the floor. “Get the armor off now!” he ordered as he unsnapped his own. He barely had control of himself at the moment. He needed Verena now.

Verena tried to sit up to take off her upper armor, but found herself flat on her back once more. She stared up into Sparatus’ eyes and found a burning desire in them that her body was answering. She moaned low when she saw the heat in those eyes.

She heard the low rumble come from her lover. It thrummed through her body, making her lower regions tighten in anticipation. She shifted slightly, trying to ease the tension. Sparatus’ predatory gaze caught her movement and she heard him purr in delight. It burned through her. He didn’t need to touch her. Just the sounds he made were enough to bring her to a screaming orgasm.

Her back arched sharply as she felt his claws on the tender flap of skin that gave her the most pleasure. She lay there writhing as the pleasure built, but no release was found. She hissed when he stopped.

Sparatus watched her intently, her every movement driving him on. Her musky scent fogged his rational thought. The sounds she made went directly to his shaft, making it throb. He followed the musky scent to the junctions of her legs. He leaned down, lightly tasting it and growled in pleasure as she arched her back. Her legs spread wider and she dug her nails into the soft skin beneath his fringe.

He leaned his face against her thigh, allowing her to relax for a moment. He purred his delight as she writhed beneath his head, calling out his name as she found her pleasure. He could see how wet she was, but he wasn’t finished. He needed to know her true taste. This time he didn’t hesitate; he lapped at her, holding her hips tightly so she couldn’t move. He drove his tongue within her channel, and then lapped at her once more.

She pleaded, begged and cried out. Each noise was music to his ears and urged him on. For each release he pushed to another, not stopping until he was ready. He wanted her mindless. He wanted her to remember this when he wasn’t around to make her wet and wanting. He had smelled her desire as her eyes met his when they had taken down the thresher maw. He had read her needs and he planned on answering each one.

Verena didn’t know if she could keep this up. Her body was a quaking mass and her system was nearly overloaded. She needed him to be inside of her immediately.

“Will you fuck me?” she nearly yelled.

Sparatus grinned, moving up her body; kissing her the only way he knew how. His tongue invaded her mouth, his tongue dueling with hers. He backed away and thrust forward; not holding back because she was human.

He growled as he felt her nails sink into his soft skin, driving him on. He groaned against her skin when she wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him further than he thought possible. He moved to his knees, placing her back firmly against the door. He spread her legs wider and drove into her with a pounding rhythm that brought wailing cries from his wife. Each noise burned through him.  
He glanced down and watched as he disappeared into her. His rhythm stuttered as he almost came at the sight of it. He tried to hold on, but her channel gripped him tightly. He couldn’t hold out any longer and thrust deep; finding his release. He held her close, purring his contentment as she held him.

~oooooooooooooo~

Joker sat in the cockpit with a smug grin. He hit send on the video he just recorded. He couldn’t wait to see Shepard’s face when she saw this. He didn’t think anything could make the mako rock while sitting in the garage, but he had been very wrong. He was glad he was able to get sound on the vid.

~oooooooooooooo~

Wrex grinned as the councilor and Shepard exited the mako. He didn’t say a word; the blush on the commander’s face made it unnecessary. He watched them walk out of the garage as if nothing had happened.

He shrugged his shoulders when he realized that he might lose the bet. He didn’t really care, not with the look he had just seen on both of their faces. And Shepard had given him something to amuse himself with for days to come.

He glanced at the other human and noticed that she was blushing harder than the commander. Yep, that was well worth losing a bet… he thought to himself with amusement.

~ooooooooooooooo~

Garrus looked at the couple when they appeared from the bay. He glanced at their necks and didn’t see any marks. He was surprised. He thought for sure that would have happened. He didn’t know what the hell was wrong with them. If you looked at them, you could see they love they had for each other. But he was certain that neither of them realized it.

He nodded to himself and decided it was time to make another push. And he knew exactly what would do it.


	17. Chapter 17

Garrus glanced up as someone sat down beside him. It was Sparatus and he didn’t seem to be in a good mood. The mood wasn’t unusual, but the arrival was.

“Something I can do for you, Councilor?” Garrus asked casually.

“No, nothing can be done. Humans are too stubborn for their own good,” Sparatus muttered with a scowl. Garrus thought about asking him to explain, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know. He figured the councilor was talking about Shepard. Shepard was considered stubborn for most species.

Garrus was still debating whether to follow through with his plan. He thought about starting immediately, but the councilor’s mood made him hesitate. He wanted to survive to see the end of this mission.

Verena walked into the mess hall, and saw Garrus and Sparatus sitting together. She wouldn’t have been surprised to discover that they were plotting something. She took a seat on her own, needing time to think. That turian was starting to break through all her walls. She’d come so close the previous night to admitting her feelings. She‘d almost drawn blood when she bit her tongue.

Kaidan watched her take a seat and shook his head. He knew Verena hadn’t admitted her feelings like she said she would. He thought about stepping in and putting her on the spot, but knew that would be a dangerous move on his part. His focus turned to the Turian Councilor and another idea formed. They could no longer allow the married couple to continue running away from their feelings.

They’d soon be battling Saren and Shepard needed to focus all her attention on their opponent and not on her love life; despite the fact that her love life was a lot more interesting.

Kaidan rose from his seat and walked over to the two turians. “Councilor, when you have a spare moment I would like to speak to you in private,” Kaidan stated before walking away.

Garrus raised a brow ridge, surprised that Kaidan would wish to talk with the councilor. He wondered what the human wanted to say. Kaidan was very close to Shepard and he hoped that the soldier was interceding on her behalf.

~ooooooooooooo~

Sparatus motioned for Kaidan to enter the mako before him. It was the only place he could think of where Verena wouldn’t overhear. He was very curious to learn what the human had to say.

“What do you want?” Sparatus asked gruffly.

“I want Verena or you – it doesn’t really matter who - to admit your feelings. You’re too much of a distraction for Verena,” Kaidan stated bluntly. He knew there was a high chance that he’d just ruined his career. He also knew that Sparatus could have him assassinated in a moment’s notice. But this needed to be done.

Sparatus narrowed his eyes. “And what makes you so sure that we haven’t?” he asked, his voice devoid of all emotion.

“I know Verena and right now she’s fighting herself. If this continues she may not return from one of her missions because her mind was elsewhere,” Kaidan snapped.

Fear raced through Sparatus, but he didn’t allow it to show. Kaidan’s words struck him numb. Now he worried that he might lose Shepard forever if he didn’t act. “And what is your suggestion, Human?” Sparatus spat belligerently.

“Tell her how you feel. She’s so stubborn that she won’t admit anything until she knows that she is on safe ground. So you’ll have to take the first step,” Kaidan stated, his voice rising slightly in frustration. He never thought he would meet someone as stubborn as Shepard, but he had been sorely wrong. He couldn’t believe that he was having this discussion with a man who hated humanity.

“Are we through?” Sparatus asked, stepping from the mako.

“Yeah, we’re done,” Kaidan said tiredly. He wondered if the turian would take the first step. He highly doubted it.

~ooooooooooooo~

Virmire was a beautiful planet, but it didn’t matter. Saren’s presence marred the beauty of it. They’d fought many geth on their way to the salarian camp, where they were now planning their final assault. She’d just convinced Wrex to allow them to destroy Saren’s krogan breeding facility. It had taken all of her strength to do it, but he had finally seen things her way and they had resolved the issue without violence.

Her scowl deepened. She knew Sparatus was listening to all of this and hated it. She should be used to it by now. At least he was safe on the ship, though she would have loved to have had him at her side. But there was no way she would allow that, not ever. It was too dangerous and he was a councilor. His life was more important than hers.

“Ashley, you’re going with the salarians,” Shepard told the gunnery chief in private. “You are a stronger fighter than Kaidan and they will need a good fighter by their side.”

“I won’t let you down, skipper,” Ashley murmured.

“I know you won’t, but you better keep your ass safe. I won’t lose a crew member,” Verena bit out. The thought of losing Ashley scared her. Once Ashley left her sight, she wouldn’t be able to protect her.

“I’ll try my best,” Ashley answered with certainty in her eyes. She nodded to Shepard before walking over to the salarians.

Verena turned to Garrus and Wrex. “You guys ready?” she asked.

“Ready when you are,” Garrus answered.

“Let’s go skin a turian,” Wrex answered grinning evilly.

“Kaidan, you ready?” she asked, looking at her longtime friend.

“I got this covered,” he answered as he carefully helped the remaining soldiers position the bomb that would destroy Saren and his facility once and for all.

Shepard nodded and led the way to what she hoped was the final battle.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Verena stood on CIC watched over Joker’s shoulder as the bomb went off. A small piece of the planet’s surface lit up and her heart contracted. She couldn’t show any emotion. She had to be strong for her team. Inside she felt like she had just been torn apart, however. It was painful to lose a friend.

Without another word she walked to her office and shook her head when she saw Sparatus there waiting for her. She didn’t need another fight at the moment. Her emotions were too volatile and close to the surface. She could feel the tears that threatened to spill and fought them.

Sparatus watched her closely. He could see her pain and his stomach tightened. He wanted to take the pain from her eyes, but didn’t know if she would allow it. He noticed that her eyes were glassy and moved to her. He took her hand in his, holding it tightly. He didn’t bother hiding his uncertainty. This wasn’t the time to hide. He knew Shepard needed him.

Without thought Verena stepped into Sparatus and wrapped her arms around his waist. She needed this… needed to be able to share this torment and have someone be there for her; if only for a moment. “Doesn’t matter how many people I lose. It never gets easier,” she murmured softly. She wasn’t even sure he heard and she didn’t care. She just needed him.

“No, it never does,” Sparatus murmured, rubbing her back soothingly as he heard her first sniffle. He smiled at the top of her head as she burrowed closer.

“First Nihlus, now Ashley. Then in five years you’ll be gone, as well,” she whispered and he heard the her voice break. His thoughts flashed back to Kaidan’s words and he wondered if he could swallow his pride enough to what he felt. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He instantly felt disgusted with himself.

He lifted her in his arms easily and smirked at her gasp. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed her in his lap. For the longest time he thought he would be disgusted if a woman were to show her weakness. But Verena now needed him and he didn’t feel disgusted at all. Instead he felt proud that he was the one that she turned to in her time of need.

“I should check on the others,” she mumbled against his chest. She didn’t want to leave, but knew she should.

Sparatus stopped her as she moved to step away. His hand firmly held hers, keeping her from moving too far away. His throat went dry when she stared at him with a questioning look. He swallowed twice, trying to clear the lump of nerves there.

“Verena…..” his voice caught on her name and he flinched. He was disgusted at himself for being such a coward. She’d practically told him how she felt, but it didn’t seem to be enough to move him to act.

“What is it?” Verena asked nervously.

“I… you…” He growled low and stormed to the other side of the room, his anger at himself boiling over. “Shit! I hate this!”

“Hate what?” Verena asked, her voice thick with confusion.

Sparatus bowed his head and balled his hands into fists as he tried to regain his composure. “Haven’t you figured it out by now?” he snarled.

“Figured what out? That you’re pissed off for some unknown reason?” Verena answered.

“Unknown reason? Are you really that blind?” Sparatus spat. He’d regained his footing. Now he could do what he wanted.

“Sparatus, you are making no sense whatsoever. If you have something to say then say it! Quit pussy footing around,” Verena snapped, her remorse forgotten as she confronted her lover.

“Humans! Can’t even figure out the smallest of signals! Always need to have things explained to them,” Sparatus muttered with a shake of his head.

“What fucking signals are you talking about?” Shepard yelled, her frustration finally reaching its limit.

“Do you really think I am going to leave you in five years?” Sparatus yelled back.

“Yes I do. The marriage contract is only for five years. And you have no love for humans,” Verena answered in confusion. Sparatus detected more than mere confusion in her voice and that gave him hope.

“Then you are an idiot. You’re my mate and I don’t leave what is mine,” Sparatus growled as he stalked toward her. He bowed his head so that his forehead met hers. “You are mine, love,” he whispered and smirked at the stunned look on her face.

“Love?” she whispered so softly that he almost didn’t hear it.

“Yes, I love you. Have for longer than I should have. Nihlus knew,” he told her and waited for her reaction. He gave a startled gasp of surprise when she leapt up and wrapped her legs around his waist, her slick tongue meeting his as his jaw went slack from shock.

Shepard grinned when she felt his shock. She turned his head off to the side and bit down hard, breaking through his tough skin until she tasted blood. Her grin couldn’t have been better when he roared and pressed her against the nearest wall. Sparatus balled his hand in her hair and exposed her neck. She gasped in pain and pleasure when she felt him pierce her skin with his sharp teeth.  
Sparatus hands started to roam over her body. He was ready for her. He needed to be with his mate now that their feelings were clear.

“No, we can’t. My crew needs me now,” Verena said softly. Sparatus sighed and lowered her to the ground.

“If you’re not out of here in five seconds, your crew will have to wait,” Sparatus growled and stepped away. He watched her scurry out of the room and contentment flowed over him.

He went over to her computer and was preparing to place a call to the Council to update them when the pilot interrupted. He wondered, not for the first time, whether the pilot was watching them. “What do you want?” Sparatus asked.

“The Council wishes to speak with you,” Joker answered and quickly cut communications. He sat back in his seat and sent a quick message to all of the crew involved in the bet.

“If you’re right, it appears that Ashley won the bet,” Pressly told him with sad eyes.

Joker nodded his head, sadness eating at him. He sent a quick message to Kaidan to collect the winnings. He would talk to the others about what they should do with the winnings, but for the moment there were more important things to do.

~ooooooooooooo~

Sparatus glared at his fellow councilors. “You can’t seriously be thinking about grounding her!” he nearly shouted.

“It is for the best. People are starting to believe in the reapers and we can’t have that,” Tevos said calmly.

“Why shouldn’t they? The reapers are real,” Sparatus bit out.

“We’ve read the reports and all indications say they are real, but there has been no actual proof. If things continue to grow as they are now, we will be facing a full-blown panic. We cannot allow that. Shepard is to proceed to the Citadel immediately. She will then be banned from leaving Citadel space until our operatives capture Saren,” Tevos stated firmly.

“You’re making a mistake and you know it,” Sparatus bit out with a shake of his head. “I’ll notify Shepard and we’ll head there shortly.”

He cut coms and growled low. He knew the human ambassador had something to do with this. How he would love to run his claws through his soft skin and watch him beg for mercy.

He wasn’t going to bother Verena now; not with the loss of a crew member still fresh in her mind. He would notify her later, once she returned to her room. The moment he had been praying for had now come and gone. He knew that once Verena heard the news, there would be no more intimate moments between them until her ship was released from lock down. He still couldn’t believe that his coworkers had chosen such an inopportune moment to act.

~oooooooooooooooo~

Shepard walked over to Kaidan. She could see the sadness on his face. “How are you doing?” she asked softly.

“Why did you save me?” Kaidan asked. He needed to know, though he trusted Verena and knew that she would never make a decision that important based solely on emotion.

“You were with the bomb. We needed that bomb so your life was more valuable,” Verena answered. “I know this isn’t easy, but we can’t let this stop us.”

“I know. It’s just hard to accept. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I just need some time,” Kaidan murmured with a reassuring smile.

Shepard nodded and headed to the garage to talk with the others. She walked over to Wrex and relaxed. She knew Wrex wouldn’t be overly emotional. “Don’t worry, Shepard, you did the right thing,” Wrex said with a nod. He could see that she was upset by the events on Virmire. But he knew she was strong and wouldn’t let it get her down.

“Verena, you did the right thing,” Garrus said as he walked up to the pair. He could how much the mission affected her and was surprised that Sparatus wasn’t distracting her in this moment.

He searched her face for a moment, wondering if he should talk to her about her relationship. A quick glance at her neck made him stop. Hesitantly he moved her head to the side and looked at the mark on her lower neck. “Finally,” Garrus murmured with a chuckle and left her standing there; a shocked expression on her face.

~ooooooooooooo~

Shepard stepped toward Joker. He was focused on the panel in front of him. “How are you doing?” Verena asked.

“I have a request to make. Ashley won the bet and I would like to send the money to her family. Can we do that?” he asked.

“Yeah we can. As soon as we get to the Citadel we can send it to them,” Verena said with a soft smile.

“Good, ‘cause she made six hundred credits,” he told her with a watered down version of his usual grin.

“Damn! What was the bet about this time?” she asked.

Joker turned in his chair and grinned at her. “Not telling,” he chuckled.

“When do we arrive at Ilos?” she asked quietly.

“Not sure. You should talk to Sparatus. He recently spoke with the Council,” Joker said pointedly. He didn’t want to be the one to tell her that they’d been ordered to return to the Citadel.

“Okay,” she mumbled with a confused look. Without another word she went to look for her mate. It was odd thinking of him that way, but she was so grateful that their feelings were finally out in the open for all to see.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I would really like to thank Redrose, I believe the name to be. It was her idea that got his chapter going. 
> 
> I know its a very short chapter, but I didn't want the other part to be in it. I am working on the other part right now. Hopefully I will be done it shortly. 
> 
> I am so very sorry for how long I have been gone. A lot has happened, and I won't bore you with the details. A big part was a block with most of my stories and I am hoping to get all of them done. So no I haven't given up on my stories at all, its just going to take a while for them to get done. But they will b done eventually.   
> Oh and I have fixed up the other chapters. The proper formatting is being used now and things are spaced out properly. 
> 
> Well onto the story.

Chapter 18

Verena glared darkly at the dark panel. They were grounded, Sparatus was off the ship trying to talk sense into the council but she held out no hope. 

She knew who to blame, Udina, that bastard had started this and not stood up for her. Instead he backstabbed her. She wanted the ass dead. 

“Shepard? Everything alright?” Kaidan asked quietly. 

“Oh everything will be alright when I have a certain politician’s head as a trophy,” she bit out coldly. 

“I don’t think that will be possible without being arrested,” Kaidan murmured, taking few steps back. He could see her anger and betrayal, and that didn’t bode well for people. 

“I guess I should see what Anderson wanted,” Verena murmured as she rose to her feet. She prayed that Sparatus would be able to talk sense into the council, though she didn’t hold her breath on that account. She smiled softly as she remembered Sparatus reaction, how he had been angrier than her. She didn’t blame him, Nihlus’ murderer was free while she was basically caged. 

She left the ship, deep in thought. She wished that Sparatus was here by her side, but that wasn’t to be. Actually that wouldn’t be a good idea, not with their volatile emotions.

~ooooooooooooo~

Sparatus stood in front of his coworkers a  dark scowl on his face. He couldn’t wipe his murderous look even if he wanted to. “They both of you know you are a making a mistake,” Sparatus growled. 

“Be that as it may, the decision has already been made. Shortly we will send out a small squad to capture Saren and that will be the end of this talk of the Reapers,” Valern stated. 

“No it won’t be, and you know it!” Sparatus snarled. “You’ve seen the reports, seen some of the footage. If Saren get to his goal, the Reapers will be here.” 

“We will get Saren before he gets to his destination,” Valern said waving away Sparatus words. Sparatuss scowled and wanted to leap over the desk and strangle the salarian. “This meeting is over, we’ll send a squad out in two days.” 

Sparatus snarled as he walked out of the room. He knew for a fact the ones they sent won’t make it to Saren in time. They didn’t know the location, nor did they have the information that was in Verena’s mind, they needed that information to finish this mission. 

He walked the presidum, trying to figure out what he could do. He needed to do something to help his wife, but there wasn’t much he could do. He sighed tiredly. Sparatus’ stopped when he spotted Verena’s old captain sitting in a resteraunt with Verena. He wondered what was going on, quickly he made his way to them. 

Anderson glanced over Shepard’s shoulder when he saw movement. His eyes widened when he saw the turian councilor. He knew they were married, but he wasn’t sure if they were on their side or siding with the council. The idea he was about suggest died in his throat as the turian moved closer to them. 

“What?” Verena asked and glanced over her shoulder too. Her eyes widen and a small smile came to her face. “Sparatus what are you doing here?” 

“Trying to figure out a way to free the Normandy,” Sparatus stated as he took a seat with them. “I’m going to talk to Pallin see if he is willing to help out.”

“If the council finds out…” Verena trailed off, worried about him losing his seat. 

“I don’t give a shit! The council is wrong in this.” Sparatus spat out. “Go to your ship and be ready to leave on a moment’s notice.” 

“Sparatus, don’t…” she didn’t get to finish before her husband place his forehead against hers. “Go!” he said sternly before leaving her there. 

“I would suggest you take his advice,” Anderson stated with a smirk on his face. 

Verena scowled at her old captain and then watched her husband’s disappear into the crowd. “Do me a favor, when you have a chance tell Sparatus that it was Udina’s idea. He was the one who started all of this.” Verena asked quietly, rising to her feet and waited Anderson’s answer. 

“I will. But you better get to your ship. I am pretty sure your husband will have you free within the hour.” Anderson stated quickly. 

Verena nodded and headed to the Normandy, she worried about Sparatus, she didn’t want him losing his seat. He loved being a councilor. It floored her that he was willing to give up his seat for her, so she could finish her mission. If they didn’t show how much he loved her she didn’t know what did. 

Verena walked onto the Normandy and was surprised to see everyone was on CIC. “What?” She asked, glancing at each crew member. 

“There was just an announcement from the turian councilor,” Wrex stated. 

“Oh?” Verena was surprised to hear this. 

“He announced that we will be leaving shortly.” Garrus cut in. “Shep what is going on?” 

Verena ran an agitated hand through her hair. She sighed gustily, “The council has us on lockdown. Sparatus is trying to find away for us to escape to stop Saren before he finishes his plans. For those of you who don’t want to follow in this, I understand and it will not be held against you. We are about to break many rules and go against the council,” Shepard stated and waited for those that wanted to leave, leave. She was surprised when no one moved. 

“We ain’t leaving,” Wrex stated as he glared at the humans. He grinned when he noticed that he needn’t bother, they were behind Shepard. 

“Shepard, I got a green light!” Joker called out. He didn’t need to be told to head out, he did anyways. He knew no one on this ship was going to leave Shepard’s side, all on this ship believed in her and knew what they were up against. 

~ooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus stood in front of his other coworks. He saw their disappointment and didn’t care, they were in the wrong for grounding Shepard. He scowled darkly at them, challenging them with his eyes to do their worst. He wasn’t worried, Shepard was gone after Saren, and that turian would be brought to justice soon. 

“Sparatus, you no longer have your seat on the council. The next while you will be confined to your quarters under guard, when Shepard returns we will be stripping her of her rank, ship, and she will be in jail until further notice. You will have no contact with her, nor will you see her until the five years is up.” Valern stated coldly. “Escort him to his quarters.” 

“I’ll stay in Shepard’s quarters,” Sparatus demanded.

“So be it,” Valern hissed and watched as they escorted him out.

“You know Sparatus wouldn’t have done something like this without a reason,” the asari councilor reminded him. 

“It doesn’t matter, he went against our orders,” Valern bit out. 

“Do you really think our agents have enough information to stop Saren?” the asari councilor asked.

“Yes! Saren is only one man. Yes he is our best operative, but if Shepard can stop him our agents will be able to,” Valern spat. 

The asari councilor sighed, she didn’t know why her coworker was so against this. She understood Sparatus going against their orders, but Valern was taking this too personal. It didn’t make sense to her. 

~ooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus sat on Shepard’s couch, if he knew Verena he knew there was other ways out of here and hidden equipment if it needed it.  He smirked as he thought of Valern, he knew the salarian councilor would be up in arms now. The message he had sent just before hacking into the system to free the Normandy would have put the salarian on edge. He wondered what Valern would do about it the information. 

Sparatus sat there patiently, he knew it wouldn’t take too long before… 

His grin widened when the door opened to show Valern standing there. “You’re late,” Sparatus stated. 

“Shepard got away without a problem,” Valern stated as he watched Sparatus carefully. 

“Good. Now we are even,” Sparatus murmured. 

Valern rolled his eyes, “do you know how hard it was to put on this front?” he asked irately. 

“I have an idea,” Sparatus answered, chuckling softly. The salarian had owed him big time for how many times he had interrupted him and Verena, now that debt was paid. He could sit back contentedly and wait, he knew Verena would finish her mission and Nihlus would be avenged.

“I hope you are right Sparatus, and not blinded by a human,” Valern warned. 

“Oh I am right, you haven’t seen some of the things I have,” Sparatus muttered remembering when Soveriegn had talked to Verena, or the night mares that she had from the two beacons. Then there was the asari that was helping Verena make sense of the images she had seen. The Reapers were coming and Saren was indoctrinated by them. He was their puppet, which would have created a lot of problems if Shepard hadn’t figured out Saren was a traitor. 

Yeah, he was right to put his faith in his wife. She would put an end to this nightmare. Now all they had to do is wait. 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Verena stood behind Joker, “Take us in nice and easy, make sure to scan the planet. I want to get as close to this asshole as possible,” She stated as she watched the monitors. This was it, the final fight. She finally had Saren in her clutches. 

“You got it Shepard,” Joker murmured. 

“I’ll be down at the Mako, ready to go on a moment notice,” Verena stated and headed out. She rushed to the garage and grinned seeing her team there. 

“Everyone is on this mission, so be prepared,” Verena ordered as she grabbed her guns and extra ammo. She noticed that everyone else was ready and waiting. Wrex sat in the open door of the mako, Garrus leaned against it, weapons strapped to his back. Tali and Liara stood nearby, Kaidan was already in the Mako. 

“Shepard, Tali and I should stay onboard in case things don’t go as planned,” Liara commented. 

Verena gave her a searching look, and nodded. The asari was right, there should be people staying back just in case. She hated to admit it, that she was wrong to bring everyone, but Liara saved her from a huge mistake. 

“Liara, Tali, and Kaidan you stay here, the rest of you are with me,” She ordered. 

“Shepard, its time,” Joker announced. They raced for the mako, jumping into it quickly. Verena watched on the monitor as they garage was quickly cleared. 

It was time. 

~oooooooooooooo~

Sparatus watched the view screen, awaiting word from Shepard or about Shepard. What surprised him there was no news of losing his position as Councilor, he thought for sure that would make news. He checked his messages once more and swore as he remembered he didn’t have access to his account. 

It was driving him insane not knowing. He was worried about Verena – though he would never admit it out loud. He knew she could handle this, but it wasn’t the same, he wasn’t there to see for himself. 

He got up and started pacing once more, his nerves were getting the better of him. He growled low when he heard the emergency alert. Quickly he rushed to the door, wondering what in the spirits was going on now.  

He was surprised when the doors opened for him. The guards were nowhere in sight and people were running in fear. Years of training kicked in, he took a step back and let the doors close. He already knew where Shepard’s stash was, the only problem there was no armor here for him. He would have to fight without armor until he could get his hands on some. 

He grabbed two guns, one a hand cannon and the other a sniper. He remembered these guns, he had given them to Verena, they had been Nihlus’. He quickly checked the gun, and nodded.

Now he had the Citadel to save, he had to keep alive and fight until Verena came. He knew she would be here soon if she wasn’t already here. It wouldn’t surprise him one bit that she brought the war here just to prove to the council that she was right. 

Sparatus moved quickly through the halls, making all his shots count. He wasn’t surprised seeing the geth here, but worried when he didn’t see Verena or any of her team near. He made his way to C-Sec where he could find some type of armor he hoped. 

“Sparatus, what are you doing here?” Pallin asked as he strapped the last piece of his armor on. 

“Protecting the Citedel, but I need armor,” Sparatus stated as he went to the kiosk. Quickly he grabbed the armor that was shown there. He didn’t bother paying, not after all this. 

“You sure you want to go into battle? You haven’t seen battle since the first contact war,” Pallin reminded him. 

“I’ve been on the Normandy for almost a year,” Sparatus answered chuckling wryly. 

“Then lets defend the Citadel,” Pallin murmured as he grabbed his gun and handed submachine gun to the younger turian. 

~ooooooooooooooooooo~

Shepard stepped on the gas, barreling through the geth that stood in the way of her and the relay. “Shepard, the shields are almost down,” Garrus urgently warned. 

“We’re almost there,” she muttered and prayed silently that they would make it. Her eyes widened as the blue light surrounded them, and the shot through space. 

One moment she felt like she was floating then the next they were flying none to gently. Her body was tossed all over as they landed heavily. Her head throbbed, her body ached, but she forced herself to move, they weren’t even close to done yet. They had to stop Saren and save the Citadel. 

“Everyone still alive?” she asked and heard grunts in return. She was about to order Wrex to open the hatch but didn’t bother when she heard the groaning of metal. 

They glanced around the quiet Citadel, what was once bustling with activity was now dead silent. It didn’t bode well. “Garrus find out where the Council is,” Verena ordered as she walked over to the spikes where three husks were being made. 

Garrus returned to Verena’s side quickly, “the council is on the destiny assension but your husband is here somewhere on the Citadel,” Garrus told her and smirked as she glowered darkly. 

“Why isn’t he with the rest of the councilors,” she muttered and walked over to Avina. 

“Why isn’t Sparatus with the council?” she asked the computer. 

“Sparatus no longer holds a seat on the council,” the VI answered. Shepard bowed her head and worried for her husband. 

“Damn, we need to get to Saren and quickly,” Verena ordered, she hated that she would have to leave her husband to defend himself, but he could be anywhere on the Citadel and they didn’t have time to search for him. 

~oooooooooooooooo~

Sparatus looked above him and scowled at Saren’s ship, the Vanguard of the Reapers. He glanced at Pallin and was relieved that he decided to stay by the turian’s side, if he hadn’t Pallin would have died. He knew that for fact, especially when they came upon a squad of geth, too many for one to handle. 

“It looks like some has been cleaning up here,” Pallin commented as he looked down a the dead bodies that lined the walkway. 

“I would bet its Verena, we need to catch up with her,” Sparatus said urgently. 

“From the looks of it she is heading in the same direction as us, so we should be meeting her soon,” Pallin stated as they picked up the pace, heading quickly to the council chambers. 

Sparatus grinned proudly the further they made, not once had the fired their gun, Verena had taken care of everything that moved. He wondered how they were fairing, he hoped she was safe. 

“Sparatus, found the hatch,” Pallin said urgently. They both decended down the hatch and were now in the main room of the council’s chamber. He scowled darkly as he saw something hopping around and his wife was firing at it. He didn’t think, nor did he care if it pissed off Verena, she was in danger and he was going to protect her. He raised his sniper and sighted on the hopping geth. When the thing was lined up in his sites he squeezed the trigger, grinning as he dropped. His wife was safe and that was all that mattered to him. 

He ran over to his wife side, about to take her in his arms. “Move all of you!” His wife ordered, shoving her team and himself away. Sparatus looked up to see what had caught his wife’s attention. His eyes widened when he saw Sovereign falling. He focus turned to Verena, but she was too far to save and they all knew it. She had placed herself in danger to save them. His heart thunder in his chest as he watched the first piece fall, blocking his view of his wife. 

Pallin grabbed Sparatus’ arm when they turian made to go to his wife. He had to grip firmly and drag the turian away, to safety. Though he wasn’t sure where safety was, that ship was falling everywhere. They had only been lucky they hadn’t been hit with anything yet. 

Verena bit off a scream when a piece of Sovereign bit into her shoulder. She knew if Sparatus heard her scream he would come to her and it would mean his death, she couldn’t do that to her mate. She heard a loud growl and then silence; she prayed that Sparatus was safe. 

Sparatus didn’t know how long they were trapped, all he knew was he had to get out of here. He growled low, his claws trying to tear through the Reapers armor, but he knew it was futile. He scowled as someone pulled him back, “Sparatus, you need to calm down,” Pallin stated urgently, right now he was a danger to them. He knew Sparatus was barely keeping his sanity but there was nothing any of them could do. 

Pallin wasn’t sure how much time passed before he heard voices. It could have been hours, or days, but it felt like years and he knew that wasn’t so. One of the voices sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place him, only knew it was human. He waited patiently, staying well away from the feral turian that was still trying to claw his way out to get to his wife. They had given up trying to hold Sparatus back, even the krogan had stopped after a time. Sparatus wasn’t there to sooth, he had gone fural and bitten Garrus and himself. So for their safety and sanity they left the turian to his digging. 

Pallin’s sigh a breath of relief when the piece of that ship that trapped them moved away. He saw Verena’s old captain and a few other human’s. He worried that Sparatus would attack the humans but he didn’t. Instead he ran towards the larger pieces of the ship. He knew Sparatus wouldn’t stop looking for Verena’s body until it was found, he wish he could save his friend from that torment, but he was a bonded turian. What happened here was proof of that. 

“We are still looking for Commander Shepard’s body,” Anderson stated as they watched the turian councilor climb over pieces of the wreck.  

“Sparatus will find her, alive or dead,” Pallin said quietly as he watched his friend with sad eyes. He didn’t see how Verena could have survived that. 

Garrus stared at the heaping pile of Sovereign, his eyes narrowing when he thought he saw movement. He took a step forward, positive he had seen movement. He glanced at Sparatus and noticed the turian had stopped his movements. No one had to tell him, but Shepard was alive, he knew that for a certainty when he saw Sparatus’ body relax. 

“I’m putting my money on alive,” Garrus stated, not caring if he got reprimanded for not being more detached.

Anderson and Pallin looked to where Garrus was focused and smirked as they watched Verena climbed over a large pile of rubble. 

Sparatus stared up at his wife, his chest puffed out with pride. Relief swept through him, at seeing his wife safe. He moved quickly to her side, taking her in his arms. “So wife, is this your revenge for the council firing me?” he asked jokingly as he nuzzled her neck. 

“That’s a good as reason as any,” Verena answered with a smirk. She wrapped her arms around Sparatus’ waist, basking in the feel of his so close to her. Her leg throbbed, her arm was screaming but at the moment she didn’t care. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Sparatus murmured. 

“I hate saying this, but I am going to need help doing that. Climbing took my last reserve out of me,” she told her husband softly, irking her that she had to admit she couldn’t climbed the rest of the way down on her own. But one thing she knew for sure, Sparatus would look down at her for that weakness and if he did she would have to kick his ass later. 

Sparatus smiled softly down at his wife. He scooped her gently into his arms and carried her down to where a medical team waited with the rest of her crew. He took in his mate’s scent purring in content as she wrapped her arms around his neck without complaint. 

~ooooooooooooo~

Verena woke to a white room, she didn’t need to be told that she was in the hospital. She smirked when she noticed that her husband was using her bed as a pillow while he slept sitting in a chair. Lightly she ran her hand along the side of his face. Now she could relax, spend more time with him while he got the people ready for the Reaper’s attack. 

“You should be sleeping,” Sparatus mumbled as he slowly raised his head to meet his mate’s. 

“Not tired, slept enough,” Verena muttered and lightly kissed his mandible. 

“How are you feeling?” Sparatus asked softly as he pulled her closer to him. 

“Fine,” Verena gasp and grinned when she found herself in Sparatus’ lap instead of still on her bed. “I don’t think the doctors will be impressed if this goes further,” she murmured. 

“Don’t care,” Sparatus mumbled, licking along her neck reveling in her groan of passion. 

He growled low when there was a clearing of a throat. Slowly with narrowed eyes he looked over his shoulder at the intruders. His scowl darkened when he saw it was the rest of the council along with Anderson and the annoying human. For the life of him he couldn’t remember the man’s name. 

“Udina what are you doing here?” Verena bit out coldly. Sparatus smirked, when he heard the name. He should have remembered that name. 

“Commander Shepard, there are a few things we need to discuss,” the asari stated calmly. 

“You can damn well wait until she is out of the hospital,” Sparatus bit out as he place his wife back on the bed and rose to his feet. 

“This should be done very soon, it is not something we should wait on,” Valern said. 

“I don’t give a damn what you think is so urgent. You can damn fucking well wait,” Sparatus hissed, baring his teeth at them aggressively.

Verena rolled her eyes and slipped out of the bed. She laid a gently hand on her husband’s arm. “Sparatus let them talk,” she murmured with a chuckle. 

“You should be…” he didn’t get a chance to finish before Verena silenced him with her mouth. He pulled her closer, groaning deeply as he deepened the kiss. He may not have lips like a human but he had a tongue and knew she enjoyed it very much. 

Verena broke the kiss, gasping for breath as her body throbbed with need for him. “Tough, you can wait for that. As for them, yes I know I should be relaxing but since when have I ever followed the rule?” she asked with a unrepentant grin. 

“Damn, you are a pain in the ass,” Sparatus grumbled. 

“You’re one to talk,” Verena laughed and turned her attention to the amused council. Her eyes narrowed at them, she still hadn’t forgiven them for firing Sparatus. When the choice came to save or kill them she had almost let them die. 

She stood there waiting patiently for them to speak, before she spoke her mind. “Commander Shepard, on behalf of the council we would like to thank you for our lives and saving the Citadel,” the asari said softly. 

“You want to thank me reinstate Sparatus,” she bit out. 

“We already have, he has been reinstated for over two weeks now. We couldn’t tell him since the geth attacked,” the salarian council said with a smirk. 

“Why is Udina here?” Verena asked, she could hear the coldness in her voice and didn’t care. 

“After these events we think humans should have a spot on the council,” the salarian councilor said. 

“That still doesn’t answer my question, why is he here? Especially after the trial?” Verena bit out. 

Sparatus rose to his full height, placing himself in front of his mate as he glowered at the human that had betrayed his wife. His scowl darkened as he remembered how his wife had almost went to jail because of this human. “Get him out of here!” He snarled menacingly. 

“He is one of the candidates to take a seat on the council,” the asari councilor stated. 

“Over my dead body will he have a seat on the council. I will see him dead first,” Sparatus spat contemptuously. 

“And I’ll pull the trigger,” Verena said moving up beside her husband. “If a human is going to be on the council my choice is Anderson. Udina can go fuck himself.”

Sparatus grinned down at his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Then we have the answer we need, Anderson shall speak for the humans, while Udina will take his seat as the ambassador for humanity once more.”

“WHAT!!” Verena shouted, apalled at that suggestion. “No way in hell should he even have a seat of power!” 

“I agree with Shepard,” the salarian councilor said calmly. 

“Amen to that,” Verena muttered. 

Sparatus snickered and hugged Verena close. “Now if that is all, I am getting my wife home,” he told them. He smirked as he watched them walk out of the room. The breath he had been hold he let out, things wree finally going back to normal. He had his place on the council, Verena was safe for now and he finally had time with her before she departed once more. He wasn’t expected back to work for another week and it was time he planned to stay by his wife’s side where he belonged. 

**The End for now.    This story will be continued at a later time, thought part 2 will be quick moving focusing more around Sparatus, then what happens during Mass Effect 2.**


End file.
